April 22, 2026, 7:33 p.m. ET
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes the Optimus robot will become the company’s most important product.
- Optimus is a bipedal, autonomous humanoid robot designed for various tasks, from factory work to household duties.
- Tesla plans to convert part of its Fremont, California factory from car production to an Optimus robot factory.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk predicted its Optimus robot will soon be his company’s most important product.
Musk said on a call with Tesla investors that the Austin-based company is prioritizing “actually releasing Optimus, but (also) increasing our internal production for testing, but then probably have Optimus be useful somewhere outside of Tesla next year.”
“As you’ve heard me say a few times, I think Optimus will be our biggest product, not just Tesla’s biggest product, but probably the biggest product ever,” Musk said on the call. “And I remain convinced of that conclusion.”
What is the Optimus program? Why does Musk say it’s the future of Tesla?
Optimus is Tesla’s in‑development humanoid robot − a bipedal, autonomous machine designed to perform tasks ranging from factory labor to daily household duties.
Musk has repeatedly touted Optimus as one of Tesla’s most important long‑term bets, describing it as a cornerstone of the company’s vision for a future built around autonomy, robotics and “physical AI.”
This shift also reflects Musk’s belief that driverless vehicles and humanoid robots will ultimately define Tesla more than cars ever did. In its shareholder messaging, Tesla has already framed itself as moving beyond automaking toward AI‑driven mobility and robotics products.
Where is Tesla planning to build the Optimus robot?
Musk announced in January that his company is planning to convert space in its Fremont, California factory, currently used to build Model S and X vehicles, into an Optimus robot factory.
“I think it’s time to bring the Model S and X to an end, with an honorable discharge,” Musk said on a live call with investors. “Because we’re really moving into a future that is based on autonomy.”
Musk told investors on the April earnings call that Tesla is playing it close to the vest when it comes to unveiling details about its latest Optimus robot.
“What we have found is that when have unveiled previous Optimus versions, our competitors literally do a frame-by-frame analysis and copy everything we’re doing,” he said. “I think we want to push the Optimus 3 unveil maybe closer to production. Summer production, we’re assuming, is somewhere around the late July, early August timeframe.”
Musk said Tesla is attempting an ambitious reboot of its Fremont factory as it converts from making cars to robots.
“Just to inject some reality into these questions…the last S/X production will be in early May,” Musk said. “You start dismantling a line from the small parts first, not from the final assembly first… So frankly, if we’re able to go from stopping production on one line, dismantling that entire line, reinstalling a new line and then turning that on in four months, that is an insanely fast speed.”
Musk added: “I don’t think any other company on Earth has ever done that before, just to put that in perspective and inject some reality into the situation here.”
Contributing: James Ward, California trending news editor for the USA TODAY Network
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