Tesla Robotaxi usage declines amid safety and privacy concerns
Tesla's robotaxi service reportedly experienced a 36% decline in miles driven despite expansion efforts. Separately, Tesla was reported to be planning to train its Optimus robot by recording workers at its German factory, raising privacy and labour law concerns.
What happened
Miles driven by Tesla's robotaxi service reportedly fell by 36% despite the company's expansion of the service.
Tesla was reported to be planning to train its Optimus humanoid robot by recording workers at its Grünheide factory in Germany, capturing their movements during assembly tasks to teach the robot autonomous industrial work.
Reported impact
The decline in robotaxi usage suggests potential safety or reliability concerns with the autonomous vehicle system.
The worker recording plan for Optimus raised privacy and labour law concerns in Germany, as the initiative had not been discussed with the plant's works council, a requirement under German labour legislation for systems that monitor worker behaviour or performance.
Index analysis
The robotaxi usage decline occurred during a period when Tesla was heavily investing in artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and robotics, which contributed to reduced profitability despite record vehicle sales.
Governance controls
Tesla's plans to use worker recordings for Optimus training had not been discussed with the Grünheide plant's works council prior to implementation, contrary to German labour law requirements for technical systems that can monitor worker behaviour.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.