Tesla has started offering robotaxi rides without safety drivers in Austin on Thursday, marking a milestone for CEO Elon Musk’s company — albeit three weeks behind his promised deadline.
The first known ride without any Tesla staff member in the vehicle was shared Thursday by X user “Tsla99T,” who posted a video from the back seat of a Model Y showing no occupants in the front.
“I am in a robotaxi without a safety monitor,” the user wrote.
A few minutes later, Musk announced the milestone.
“Just started Tesla Robotaxi drives in Austin with no safety monitor in the car. Congrats to the @Tesla_AI team!” he wrote.
“If you’re interested in solving real-world AI, which is likely to lead to AGI imo, join Tesla AI,” Musk added. “Solving real-world AI for Optimus will be 100X harder than cars.”
The first robotaxi ride without a safety monitor follows a mid-December sighting of a Tesla Model Y driving itself on public roads in Austin with no occupants.
Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla‘s vice president of AI and founding member of the company’s AI team, reacted to that sighting on X, writing: “And so it begins!”
Musk’s Promises
Musk repeatedly committed to launching unsupervised robotaxi operations in Austin before 2025 ended, making the claim at least three times in recent months.
At the xAI Hackathon in early December, Musk said unsupervised autonomous driving was “pretty much solved at this point.”
The Tesla chief reaffirmed that idea earlier this Thursday in an interview in Davos, Switzerland.
The CEO first signaled the timeline in September, saying Tesla “should be no safety driver by end of year.”
He elaborated at the third-quarter earnings call last October, saying he expected “no safety drivers in at least large parts of Austin by the end of this year.”
Remote Monitoring
An update in early December added Cabin Camera Analytics and Sound Detection Analytics, allowing Tesla to access in-cabin video and audio with user consent.
Remote operators can now see and hear what is happening inside the vehicle, enabling real-time passenger support without anyone behind the wheel.
The system also actively listens for emergency sirens to improve response times. Tesla says all data remains anonymous unless a safety event or support request occurs.
