Musk says no automaker wants to use Tesla's self-driving tech
What's the story
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has admitted that other automakers are not interested in licensing the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. He made the revelation in a post on X, saying "I've tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don't want it! Crazy." This comes as a major shift from Musk's earlier claims that legacy automakers would eventually have no choice but to adopt Tesla's FSD technology.
Past discussions
Musk's previous optimism about FSD licensing
In early 2021, Musk had said that Tesla had held "preliminary discussions" with other automakers about licensing its FSD software. He often reiterated this openness, even tweeting in June 2023 that Tesla was "happy to license Autopilot/FSD or other Tesla technology" to competitors. The speculation peaked in April 2024 when he said Tesla was "in talks with one major automaker," hinting at a possible deal by year's end.
Industry response
Ford's CEO hints at FSD's limitations
Ford CEO Jim Farley had hinted at the limitations of Tesla's FSD technology. He had publicly rejected the idea of using FSD, stating that "Waymo is better." This statement from Farley, who was likely the other party in those "major automaker" talks with Musk, sheds light on why no deal was finalized for licensing Tesla's FSD system to date.
Licensing hurdles
Musk reveals stalled discussions with automakers
Musk has now revealed that discussions with other automakers have stalled due to "unworkable requirements" they demanded from Tesla. He wrote on X, "When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in five years with unworkable requirements for Tesla." This suggests that the demands made by these companies were beyond what Tesla could deliver or agree to at this point.
Deployment strategy
Tesla's approach to FSD deployment and validation
Tesla's "aggressive deployment" strategy involves releasing "beta" (now "Supervised") software to customers for system validation. This approach has led to several federal investigations and lawsuits. Just this month, Tesla settled a lawsuit over a Model Y on Autopilot crashing into a stationary police vehicle, an issue known with its system for years. By settling, Tesla avoided a jury verdict but highlighted the risks associated with its technology.