Tesla Seems to Have Moved Its Robotaxi Security Screens to a Extra Sneaky Location

Tesla’s self-driving Robotaxis have been working in Austin, Texas, with a security monitor within the passenger seat, a skilled one who can intervene in case something goes improper with the autonomous automobile. On Thursday, CEO Elon Musk announced the monitor would now not be within the automobile, which was positioned as a serious step ahead within the firm’s capabilities to function autonomously with out human intervention.

Seems, it’s not fairly that easy. Electrek reported that, based mostly on social media movies, it seems that Tesla hasn’t truly gotten rid of the security monitor. As a substitute, the corporate has seemingly merely moved the individual right into a path automobile that follows the Robotaxi in the course of its journey. A number of videos present Robotaxis being tailed by Tesla autos, suggesting that Tesla’s autonomous driving is probably not as superior as the corporate would really like it to seem. Tesla, it ought to be famous, hasn’t confirmed whether or not or not it’s working path automobiles. The corporate didn’t reply to a request for remark on the time of publication, however it additionally hasn’t had an working public relations division in a few years.

My first unsupervised @robotaxi journey right here in Austin! Come together with me on this 1st expertise of driving round Austin with simply me within the automobile and within the again seat!

Congrats to the @Tesla_AI crew! 🤠👍 pic.twitter.com/YVJ19zp2qZ

— Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠🛸😎 (@JoeTegtmeyer) January 22, 2026

In a video uploaded by Tesla fanatic Joe Tegtmeyer, he will be heard figuring out the “chase automobile” that’s following his journey in what he identifies as his “first unsupervised Robotaxi journey.” Tegtmeyer suggests the automobile is there for “validation,” which looks like a pleasant approach of claiming “being on scene in case something goes horribly improper.”

In a vacuum, there’s nothing essentially improper with the thought of a path automobile for security functions—although it does seem to be a really inefficient solution to function if you end up making an attempt to supply rides at scale. But it surely’s the weaselly approach that Musk has offered this modification that provides it such a nasty style. Musk mentioned that the Robotaxis are driving “with no security monitor within the automobile.” That’s technically appropriate. However the data that the security monitor remains to be concerned and able to probably intervene in each single journey undermines the concept Tesla has achieved some new, significant degree of autonomy.

The truth that security displays are nonetheless concerned at such a granular degree suggests Tesla remains to be lightyears behind Waymo, which is presently working a fleet of round 2,500 automobiles with out a human round to intervene bodily (although they do nonetheless have remote operators who can take over at any level). Tesla, in the meantime, is reportedly working about 80ish Robotaxis in total, and often solely a handful on the identical time.

Regardless of this, Musk went on stage in Davos, Switzerland, on the World Financial Discussion board and claimed that Tesla has solved autonomy. “I feel self-driving automobiles is basically a solved drawback at this level,” he said earlier than claiming that Tesla’s Robotaxis shall be “very widespread by the tip of this 12 months inside the U.S.” If that’s true, prepare for some main visitors jams contemplating each Tesla Robotaxi journey truly places two automobiles on the highway: the one getting you to your vacation spot and the one which makes positive you don’t burst into flames.