Benzinga·2025-11-19 05:51Core Viewpoint - The founder of The Dawn Project, Dan O'Dowd, criticized Tesla and CEO Elon Musk after a video surfaced showing a Tesla Robotaxi safety driver apparently asleep while monitoring a ride in San Francisco [1][2]. Group 1: Incident Details - A video shared by O'Dowd on social media shows the safety driver with his head down, seemingly asleep, only reacting when the 'driver attention' alarm activated [2]. - O'Dowd questioned whether the driver's behavior aligns with the expectations of constant attention and immediate preparedness required by Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system [3]. Group 2: Tesla's FSD Technology - Elon Musk stated during a recent earnings call that Tesla's Robotaxis, currently requiring a safety driver, are expected to operate driverless by the end of 2025 [4]. - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating Tesla's FSD technology due to reports of traffic violations and accidents involving vehicles using Autopilot or FSD [5]. Group 3: Industry Comparisons - Andrej Karpathy, former AI lead at Tesla, praised the FSD system, describing his experience as "basically a flawless drive" and comparing it to a magnetic levitation train [6]. - Waymo, Alphabet Inc.'s autonomous vehicle company, has expanded its self-driving cab services on highways in multiple cities without an onboard safety operator [7]. Group 4: Market Performance - Tesla's stock (TSLA) experienced a decline of 1.88% to $401.25 at market close, and further dropped 0.72% to $398.38 at the end of the regular trading session [7].