GLJ Research analyst Gordon Johnson has piled fresh skepticism onto Tesla Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TSLA) humanoid robot ambitions, likening Optimus to decades-old animatronics and predicting zero commercial sales in 2026.
Analyst Slams Tesla's Humanoid Robot Claims
On Monday, Johnson shared criticism on X after reposting comments from The Dawn Project founder Dan O'Dowd, who attended a recent Tesla event featuring Optimus serving popcorn.
Johnson said Tesla's robot resembled 1980s Chuck E. Cheese "animatronics-level tech" and added that Tesla "will not sell one of these things in 2026," casting doubt on Elon Musk's aggressive timeline.
Teleoperation Allegations Raise New Questions
O'Dowd alleged that the Optimus demonstration was staged and said Tesla employees acknowledged the robot was being teleoperated, rather than functioning autonomously.
He also said staff could not confirm how many Optimus units Tesla has built, despite Musk previously stating Tesla would have 10,000 robots by the end of the year.
According to O'Dowd, Tesla may need to hire "a lot of teleoperators" if such demonstrations continue.
Musk's Big Promises Vs On-The-Ground Reality
Musk has repeatedly described Optimus as the "most sophisticated" humanoid robot on Earth, saying it could account for 80% of Tesla's future value, help solve labor shortages, eradicate poverty and even perform surgery.
Tesla has also floated a future price range of $20,000 to $30,000 per robot at scale.
Earlier this month, Tesla released videos showing Optimus running and performing fluid, human-like movements.
However, separate footage from Tesla's Miami Autonomy Visualized event showed an Optimus robot collapsing, fueling speculation that the robot was remotely controlled.
At the time, YouTuber JerryRigEverything, whose real name is Zack Nelson, mocked the situation on X, writing "to the moon tho," a jab at Musk's statement that Optimus robots could one day be sent to space aboard SpaceX's Starship.
Tesla says Optimus remains in development and expects mass production to begin soon.
Tesla is also showing a strong price trend across the short, medium and long-term. For deeper insights like this, click here to check Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings.
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