Robots, rockets, Robotaxi...Musk "painted a lot more pie" in Davos

# Source: Wall Street Insights

## By Li Dan & Ye Zhen

Elon Musk stated that Tesla will launch public sales of its robots when it is fully confident in their reliability, safety, and functional scope—and this will happen next year. He also mentioned that Tesla’s Robotaxi will become "very popular" across the U.S. by 2027, while SpaceX will achieve full reusability of its rockets this year, cutting the cost of accessing space by a factor of 100. Musk predicted that AI will become "smarter than any human being" by the end of this year, or at the latest, next year.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Tesla CEO Elon Musk outlined an ambitious blueprint covering humanoid robots, autonomous driving, space exploration, and artificial intelligence (AI). He forecast that AI could surpass human intelligence as early as the end of this year, and Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot will be available for public sale as early as the end of next year.

In a rare appearance at the Davos Forum on Thursday, January 22 (local time), Musk held a conversation with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. He revealed that Tesla has already deployed some Optimus robots in its factories to perform simple tasks, and expects these robots to handle more complex work by the end of this year. Musk said that if Tesla gains full confidence in the reliability, safety, and functional range of the robots, public sales will be launched by the end of next year.

During the conversation, Musk also noted that Tesla’s autonomous taxi service, Robotaxi, is expected to be deployed on a large scale in the U.S. this year. "By the end of this year, this service will be very, very popular across the United States." Tesla has already started offering Robotaxi services without in-car safety supervisors in Austin, Texas. SpaceX aims to achieve full reusability of its Starship rockets this year. Musk predicted that AI will become "smarter than any human being" by the end of this year, or at the latest, next year.

As Musk was speaking, Tesla’s share price continued to climb. In midday trading on Thursday, the intraday gain expanded to over 4%, and closed up more than 4%, hitting a closing high in over two weeks since January 5. After two consecutive days of gains, the stock erased most of its losses since the start of 2026.

Tesla’s core automotive business has seen two consecutive years of declining deliveries due to outdated product lines and the cancellation of U.S. electric vehicle subsidies. The unmanned driving, AI, and robotics businesses mentioned by Musk this time are regarded by him as Tesla’s key priorities. As early as early September last year, Musk stated that approximately 80% of Tesla’s value will come from the Optimus robot project he first proposed four years ago.

## Optimus Robots to Hit the Market in 2027

Musk provided a more specific timeline for the commercialization of the Optimus humanoid robots.

He said that public sales will begin when Tesla is convinced that the robots have "extremely high reliability, extremely high safety, and an extremely wide range of functions", at which point users can "basically ask them to do almost anything you want". Musk stated that this will happen next year.

Musk has previously predicted that humanoid robots will eventually outnumber humans, with billions of units deployed not only in factories but also in households, assisting with tasks ranging from dishwashing to childcare. Speaking at the Davos Forum, he said:

>If we have AI that is almost free or completely free, and ubiquitous robots, the global economy will experience explosive growth on an unprecedented scale. What does this mean for you? Billions of AI-driven robots will outnumber humans and meet all human needs. At some point, you won’t be able to imagine what else you could ask of robots, because goods and services will be so abundant.

Tesla is currently using some Optimus robots in its factories to perform basic tasks. Musk predicted that by the end of 2026, these robots will be able to "execute more complex tasks".

Although Musk often talks about the potential of Optimus, he has been relatively vague about production timelines and targets in the past. On the earnings call in January 2025, he said that a "very rough guess" is that Tesla will start delivering Optimus to other companies in the second half of 2026. Earlier this week, Musk also warned that initial production of Optimus and Tesla’s latest vehicle model, Cybercab, will be "extremely slow".

## Progress in Autonomous Driving and Space Exploration

In the field of autonomous driving, Musk claimed that it is "essentially a solved problem". He said that by 2027, his company’s driverless taxis will be "very popular" in the U.S.

Musk stated that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software is updated sometimes once a week, and some insurance companies offer half-price premiums to customers using this technology due to its safety record. Tesla has launched robotaxi services in multiple cities, with large-scale deployment in the U.S. expected by the end of this year, and approval for supervised FSD in Europe likely to be obtained next month.

In terms of space exploration, Musk said SpaceX aims to achieve full reusability of the Starship rocket this year. He described the Starship as "the largest flying vehicle ever built", noting that this breakthrough will reduce the cost of accessing space by a factor of 100, to less than $100 per pound. SpaceX has demonstrated the ability to catch rocket boosters on the launch pad, but has not yet attempted to recover and reuse the Starship spacecraft itself.

Musk also discussed plans to launch solar-powered AI satellites in the next few years. He pointed out that solar panels in space are five times more efficient than those on Earth, due to continuous sunlight and no atmospheric interference. He predicted that "the cheapest place to deploy AI will be in space", which will be achieved within two to three years.

## Predictions for AI Development and Energy Infrastructure

Musk made a bold prediction about AI development, stating that AI could become "smarter than any human being" by the end of this year, or "at the latest, next year". This forecast underscores his judgment on the rapid progress of AI technology.

In terms of energy production, Musk said that a solar panel array covering an area of 100 square miles could power the entire United States. He revealed that teams at SpaceX and Tesla are each working to establish 100 gigawatts of solar manufacturing capacity per year in the U.S. within approximately three years.

Musk’s appearance at Davos was quite unexpected, as he has previously criticized the forum as "boring" and slammed the World Economic Forum for "increasingly becoming an unelected world government that no one asked for or wanted". In 2022, he posted on social media: "What’s the deal with the World Economic Forum/Davos? Do they want to be the bosses of the planet?"

During the conversation, Musk said that the overall goal of his companies is to maximize the "probability of civilization having a bright future" and to "extend consciousness beyond Earth".

## Aliens Do Not Exist; Human Aging Is a "Very Solvable Problem"

In a dialogue with his friend, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, at the forum, Musk opened by talking about his values and made several jokes about aliens.

>"We have 9,000 satellites in orbit, but we have never encountered a situation where we need to avoid alien spacecraft," Musk said. "We need to assume that life and consciousness are extremely rare—perhaps we humans are alone."

Musk also said that he has not spent much time researching human aging, but predicted that a solution will eventually be found. "When we discover the cause of aging, we will find that the answer is obvious."

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