Bin the Cybertruck. Put the Model S out of your mind. According to tech investor and long-time Elon Musk confidant Jason Calacanis, Tesla, Inc. is on the verge of unleashing a piece of kit so disruptive it will render the company’s entire automotive history a mere footnote.
Speaking on the All-In Podcast, Calacanis dropped a proper bombshell, claiming to have witnessed a private demonstration of the unannounced Optimus Gen 3 humanoid robot. “I saw Optimus 3. I can tell you now: nobody will remember that Tesla ever made a car,” he declared. “It is going to be the most transformative technology product ever made in the history of humanity… I believe there will be a one-to-one ratio of humans to Optimus, and I think Elon’s already won.” To put it mildly, it’s a bit of a bolshie take, especially when you consider that the last public outing for its predecessor, Optimus Gen 2, involved it handling an egg and folding a T-shirt with the tentative grace of a toddler who’s had a bit too much Ribena.
Calacanis’s remarks paint a picture of a company quietly perfecting a world-beater while the competition is merely “in the arena.” However, that arena is becoming increasingly crowded and cut-throat. Figure AI has already inked a commercial deal to deploy its humanoids at BMW manufacturing plants in the US. Meanwhile, Boston Dynamics recently retired its hydraulic Atlas in favour of a terrifyingly nimble all-electric version designed for the hard graft of real-world industrial tasks. These firms are actually shipping hardware and signing contracts, while Tesla’s progress has remained largely behind closed doors since its last public update.
Why does this matter?
Whether this is a calculated bit of hype-building or a genuine sneak peek at a market-shattering breakthrough, Calacanis’s statement fundamentally shifts the narrative of the humanoid robot race. For months, the consensus was that Tesla was playing catch-up to more specialised robotics outfits. This claim, coming from a source with a long-standing line to Musk, suggests Tesla might be prepping an “iPhone moment” for the entire industry. The pressure is now well and truly on Elon Musk to show us a robot that can do more than just tackle the laundry pile.
