Elon Musk's Mother Recalls Borrowing First Tesla Roadster In 2008—Now Celebrates Robotaxi Launch With Joyride In Driverless Car: 'No One Knew What It Was'

Maye Musk, mother of Tesla Inc. TSLA CEO Elon Musk, commemorated the company’s Robotaxi launch by reflecting on her early experience with Tesla’s first vehicle nearly two decades ago.

What Happened: “In 2008, the Tesla Roadster was launched. I borrowed one for this photoshoot in NYC. No one knew what it was,” Maye Musk wrote on X. “And now, it’s Tesla Robotaxi day in Austin, Texas. Love the excitement on the X posts – being driven in a car without a driver, steering wheel or pedals is so cool.”

Tesla officially launched its Robotaxi service in Austin on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in the autonomous vehicle sector. The small-scale rollout featured over 10 Tesla Model Y vehicles operating in Austin’s South Congress neighborhood through an invite-only event targeting social media influencers.

The company deployed a dedicated booking app similar to Uber Technologies Inc. UBER for ride-hailing services. Tesla positioned safety monitors in the front seats during operations, though their level of control over the Unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) system remains unconfirmed.

Why It Matters: Tesla’s entry into autonomous ride-hailing intensifies competition with Alphabet Inc.‘s GOOGL GOOG Waymo and Amazon.com Inc.‘s AMZN Zoox. Waymo has expanded operations across California and conducts trials nationwide, while Zoox has established a second production facility to scale operations.

The launch comes as Tesla faces scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding FSD performance in adverse weather conditions. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives previously valued Tesla’s AI and autonomous driving technology at $1 trillion.

Tesla shares climbed 1.5% in Monday pre-market trading following the announcement. The company also announced plans to invest $8 billion in U.S. manufacturing in 2025, following $10 billion invested in 2024.

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