Tesla Quietly Pauses Its “Unsupervised” Robotaxi Rides as Reality Sets In
Frank Landymore
created: Jan. 29, 2026, 2:11 p.m. | updated: Feb. 8, 2026, 1:22 p.m.
It appears that Tesla CEO Elon Musk may have once again duped his fans and investors — which, these days, is an increasingly meaningless distinction.
Dedicated as he is to the Tesla cause, he traveled to Austin to try out an “unsupervised” Robotaxi ride — but was left sorely disappointed.
After a gobsmacking 42 rides, every single one he got came with a human safety monitor.
To be fair to Tesla, it looks like the “unsupervised” rides stopped after a massive winter storm slammed the country on Saturday, including Austin.
It’s worth asking why the unsupervised rides were launched just two days before a winter storm that everyone knew was coming.
1 week, 6 days ago: Futurism