Tesla has started production of its Optimus humanoid robot at its factory in Fremont, California. The company announced that the bots coming off this line are the first production-quality bots, but Elon Musk claims it will take years to ramp up production to 20,000 per week.

The forward-looking development was overshadowed by Tesla’s otherwise mediocre third-quarter earnings. The company’s revenue was flat, and expenses skyrocketed, leading to a 43% drop in profits.

While Tesla executives remain bullish on its FSD product, with delays in the unsupervised version, the future of work and autonomous driving remains uncertain. Tesla’s revenue from EV sales and services grew, but was not enough to offset the cost of its ambitious robot and AI projects.

Despite the optimism, Musk acknowledged there is still a lot of work to do with the robot’s design and AI capabilities. ‘You need to deliver a robot that is safe and reliable and has long duration, so it can’t like, wear out after a month,’ he said.

As Tesla ploughs ahead, the world watches with bated breath, wondering if the Optimus robot will become a staple in our lives or just a fleeting technological mirage.