'Nobody Will Remember Tesla Ever Made A Car:' Tech Investor Says Optimus Could Become Elon Musk's Biggest Legacy - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER)
TeslaTesla(US:TSLA) Benzinga·2026-01-17 17:31

Core Insights - Jason Calacanis, a tech investor, believes Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus could surpass the company's automotive legacy, indicating a significant shift in focus for Tesla [1][3] Group 1: Visit to Tesla Optimus Lab - Calacanis visited Tesla's Optimus lab with CEO Elon Musk, observing the development of Optimus 3 and the engineering teams at work [2] - The visit took place two Sundays prior to the podcast episode recording, highlighting the ongoing advancements in Tesla's robotics efforts [2] Group 2: Future of Optimus - Calacanis predicts that Tesla will be remembered more for Optimus than for its cars, with Musk aiming to produce a billion units of the robot [3] - Musk has set a target price of $20,000 to $30,000 per unit for Optimus once mass production begins, indicating a strategic pricing approach [3] Group 3: Technology Integration - Large language models are expected to enhance Optimus robots, allowing them to understand and perform tasks that humans prefer to avoid [4] - Calacanis describes Optimus as potentially the most transformative technology product in human history, suggesting a future where there could be a one-to-one ratio of humans to Optimus robots [4] Group 4: Competition - Musk's Optimus project faces competition from Chinese Unitree robots, which have demonstrated impressive capabilities, including flips and dance routines [5]

'Nobody Will Remember Tesla Ever Made A Car:' Tech Investor Says Optimus Could Become Elon Musk's Biggest Legacy - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER) - Reportify