Tesla Seems to Have Moved Its Robotaxi Security Displays to a Extra Sneaky Location

Tesla’s self-driving Robotaxis have been working in Austin, Texas, with a security monitor within the passenger seat, a educated one who can intervene in case something goes flawed with the autonomous automobile. On Thursday, CEO Elon Musk announced the monitor would not be within the automobile, which was positioned as a significant step ahead within the firm’s capabilities to function autonomously with out human intervention.

Seems, it’s not fairly that straightforward. Electrek reported that, primarily based on social media movies, it seems that Tesla hasn’t truly gotten rid of the security monitor. As a substitute, the corporate has seemingly merely moved the individual right into a path automobile that follows the Robotaxi at some point of its journey. A number of videos present Robotaxis being tailed by Tesla automobiles, suggesting that Tesla’s autonomous driving might not be as superior as the corporate would really like it to seem. Tesla, it must be famous, hasn’t confirmed whether or not or not it’s working path vehicles. The corporate didn’t reply to a request for remark on the time of publication, nevertheless it additionally hasn’t had an working public relations division in a few years.

My first unsupervised @robotaxi experience right here in Austin! Come together with me on this 1st expertise of driving round Austin with simply me within the automobile and within the again seat!

Congrats to the @Tesla_AI group! 🤠👍 pic.twitter.com/YVJ19zp2qZ

— Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠🛸😎 (@JoeTegtmeyer) January 22, 2026

In a video uploaded by Tesla fanatic Joe Tegtmeyer, he might be heard figuring out the “chase automobile” that’s following his experience in what he identifies as his “first unsupervised Robotaxi experience.” Tegtmeyer suggests the automobile is there for “validation,” which looks like a pleasant approach of claiming “being on scene in case something goes horribly flawed.”

In a vacuum, there’s nothing essentially flawed with the thought of a path automobile for security functions—although it does appear to be a really inefficient solution to function when you’re attempting to supply rides at scale. Nevertheless it’s the weaselly approach that Musk has introduced this variation that offers it such a nasty style. Musk mentioned that the Robotaxis are driving “with no security monitor within the automobile.” That’s technically right. However the data that the security monitor remains to be concerned and able to probably intervene in each single experience undermines the concept Tesla has achieved some new, significant degree of autonomy.

The truth that security displays are nonetheless concerned at such a granular degree suggests Tesla remains to be lightyears behind Waymo, which is presently working a fleet of round 2,500 vehicles with out a human round to intervene bodily (although they do nonetheless have remote operators who can take over at any level). Tesla, in the meantime, is reportedly working about 80ish Robotaxis in total, and normally solely a handful on the similar time.

Regardless of this, Musk went on stage in Davos, Switzerland, on the World Financial Discussion board and claimed that Tesla has solved autonomy. “I feel self-driving vehicles is actually a solved drawback at this level,” he said earlier than claiming that Tesla’s Robotaxis might be “very widespread by the top of this yr throughout the U.S.” If that’s true, prepare for some main site visitors jams contemplating each Tesla Robotaxi experience truly places two vehicles on the street: the one getting you to your vacation spot and the one which makes certain you don’t burst into flames.