Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said Tesla’s planned robotaxis would generate more revenue if they were available on the ride-hailing platform, though he noted Elon Musk appears intent on pursuing a stand-alone strategy.
In April, Khosrowshahi said Uber would “love to work with” Tesla and called his own Tesla “a great car.”
Speaking at the ‘All In Summit,’ Khosrowshahi was asked how he would pitch Musk on adding Tesla robotaxis to Uber’s network.
“The pitch is simple, which is… if you’re looking to maximize the revenue of those robotaxis today, we are your ticket to that maximization of that revenue,” Khosrowshahi said.
Earlier this month, Tesla Robotaxi‘s account on X reshared a post where a customer reported that the cost of Uber was five times higher for exactly the same ride in Austin.
“$2.62 vs $12.94,” the company wrote on September 8.
He added that Tesla owners could risk lower returns if their cars are excluded from the Uber platform.
“To the extent that you’re looking to have these fleets owned by people — kind of the digital sheppards which is an amazing vision that Elon has — and to the extent that those owners are not able to monetize their assets on the Uber network — they will under-monetize,” he said.
Khosrowshahi argued that competitors offering Uber access would provide stronger economics for vehicle owners.
“If there’s a competitor offering those vehicles access to the Uber network, the monetization of those vehicles will be superior, and those digital shepherds will go elsewhere,” he said.
Still, he acknowledged Musk’s option for a vertically integrated approach.
“Elon kind of believes in full stack and has proven it. And I think this market is large enough for there to be multiple winners,” he stated before saying Uber would love to partner with Tesla.
“But in the end, […] we would love to partner with them, but at this point, they are looking to go alone, and I think the market is large enough to carry a number of winners,” Khosrowshahi said.
The comments follow a separate deal announced this week between Tesla and Uber’s freight division.
Uber Freight said Tuesday it had partnered with Tesla to deploy its Semi trucks through a new “Dedicated EV Fleet Accelerator Program.”
The initiative aims to make electric freight more affordable by lowering upfront costs and giving carriers access to Uber Freight’s network of shippers demanding EV transport options.
Unlike Uber’s core ride-hailing business, Uber Freight connects businesses or individuals who need goods shipped with carriers such as truck drivers or trucking companies.
