A full-blown robotaxi war may be just days away, and it looks like Elon Musk is about to fire the first shot. Uber’s watching closely—and maybe sweating a little.
Tesla is reportedly gearing up to launch its long-teased autonomous taxi service on June 12. The news, first broken by Bloomberg, has set off alarm bells across Silicon Valley and Wall Street alike. According to analysts at Wedbush Securities, this bold move could upend Uber’s core business. And depending on how it all plays out, it might redraw the map for the future of ride-hailing entirely.
June 12 Could Change Everything
The date isn’t just a calendar marker—it’s a declaration.
Bloomberg’s report, citing insiders familiar with the matter, claims that Tesla’s robotaxi debut is scheduled for June 12. While the company hasn’t officially confirmed the launch, Elon Musk did give some indirect validation via X (formerly Twitter), saying Tesla has been testing fully self-driving Model Y vehicles on public streets in Austin, Texas.
“No one in the driver’s seat,” Musk posted, calling the early tests incident-free. That’s not a minor detail. It’s a massive leap for any company dealing in autonomous cars.
Tesla’s apparent strategy is simple: launch small, scale fast. According to Musk, the first customer deliveries are coming soon—straight from the factory, with no human at the wheel.
Uber’s Play: Betting on Partnerships, Not Hardware
Unlike Tesla, Uber isn’t building its own driverless car fleet.
Instead, it’s relying on heavyweight partners like Waymo, Google’s self-driving subsidiary. Uber began offering autonomous rides in a 37-mile section of Austin in March, and it says Atlanta is next.
But here’s where it gets tricky: Uber doesn’t own the technology. It’s dependent on outside vendors for both the vehicles and the software that powers them.
That could be a problem.
• Uber’s head of strategic finance, Balaji Krishnamurthy, said on X that the market is worth $1 trillion—but also warned that commercialization will take time, citing issues like safety, regulations, and scalability.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tried to calm nerves earlier this year, saying Uber is “uniquely positioned” to benefit from autonomy. But his optimism may not be enough to counter a more vertically integrated competitor like Tesla.
Big Promises, Bigger Risks
Elon Musk doesn’t do subtle. During a recent earnings call, he said Tesla’s future rests on one thing: large-scale autonomous systems. Not just cars, but humanoid robots too.
Ambitious? No doubt. But so far, Tesla hasn’t proven its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software is truly ready for the mainstream. Legal experts and academics remain skeptical.
Bryant Walker Smith, a legal scholar in autonomous vehicles, told Newsweek bluntly: “Tesla has never demonstrated a system capable of automated driving.” And any June rollout, he added, will likely be limited to “simple environments, slow speeds, and supervised operations.”
That echoes concerns raised by Phil Koopman, a professor at Carnegie Mellon, who pointed out the safety hazards of remote driving. A dropped connection at the wrong time could mean disaster. And with no driver in the car to take over, the margin for error is razor-thin.
It’s not just about the software—it’s about the stuff nobody talks about. Parking logistics. Customer service. How to get the robotaxi from Point A to Point B when something goes wrong.
Americans Still Aren’t Buying It
While Tesla and Uber inch toward autonomy, the average American seems a bit more grounded—maybe even suspicious.
A recent survey from Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report polled 8,000 U.S. adults. The findings weren’t pretty:
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71% said they wouldn’t ride in a Tesla robotaxi
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43% believe robotaxis should be outright illegal
That’s not a tech issue—that’s a trust issue.
And trust is hard to earn back once it’s lost.
Even Jack Stilgoe, professor of Science and Technology Studies at University College London, urged caution. He said Tesla’s been conducting a “giant experiment” for over a decade and warned that moving too fast could be reckless.
Still, Tesla fans remain loyal. The company’s share price jumped on the Bloomberg report. Wedbush analysts even raised their Tesla target from $350 to $500, betting that autonomy and robotics could add $1 trillion in value alone.
Tesla vs. Uber: A Tech Tug-of-War
Let’s be real—this is no longer just a story about cars.
It’s about who gets to dominate the future of urban mobility. One company builds the cars and controls the software. The other moves people around and knows how to scale operations. But only one might come out on top.
| Company | Strategy | Tech Ownership | Rollout Status | Key Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla | Vertical integration, own fleet | Full Self-Driving (FSD) | June 12 launch expected | N/A |
| Uber | Platform aggregator | Depends on Waymo & co. | Active in Austin, Atlanta next | Waymo |
Regulators could play spoiler for either side. States like California and Texas have been hotbeds of testing, but federal regulation is still lagging behind. Without consistent rules across jurisdictions, these companies might find themselves stuck at red lights—metaphorically and literally.
What to Watch as the Clock Ticks Down
Tesla’s planned June 12 event has the potential to shake markets, spark regulatory battles, and possibly change public sentiment.
But for now, it’s mostly anticipation.
If Tesla’s rollout is smooth—even in a limited environment—it will be a landmark moment. If anything goes wrong, it could reinforce the skepticism already brewing.
