When Selling Cars Isn't Enough: A Story About Tomorrow
Consider using building blocks to play. Everyone thinks your car garage is awesome. But all of a sudden you want to build walking, talking, and chore-doing robots instead of building more garages. That is essentially what is going on at Tesla at the moment, and it is creating a lot of controversy!
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, a manufacturer of electric vehicles, recently made a statement that raised many people's eyebrows. He expressed his desire to command a "robot army." You read correctly—an army of robots! But let's look at the reality before you imagine robots marching with laser guns like in the movies.
The Tale of Two Teslas
Consider Tesla as a restaurant that is well-known for producing the best pizza in the area. Their pizza attracts customers from all over, and business is booming. However, Musk, who owns the restaurant, is constantly stating that he wants to produce flying saucers rather than pizza. Everyone is wondering, "What happened to the pizza?" while the pizza makers are baffled and the customers are perplexed.
Sales for Tesla recently reached their highest level in more than a year. Between July and September, they made over 21 billion dollars by selling nearly half a million cars. That sounds fantastic, doesn't it? The catch is that, despite selling more cars than ever before, they actually made 37% less money than they did the year before! It's similar to having more lemonade sold at your stand but somehow having less money in your piggy bank.
Why? Because Musk is investing enormous sums of money in artificial intelligence (AI), which is the technology that allows computers to think and learn like people, robots, and self-driving cars. These futuristic projects accounted for a significant portion of Tesla's 50% increase in spending this quarter over the previous one.
What's This Robot Army All About?
Optimus is a robot that Tesla has been developing. Imagine a human-like robot with two arms, two legs, and a head. One day, according to Musk, these robots will be able to cook your dinner, fold your laundry, and possibly even do surgery! He thinks that billions of these robots may one day assist people with a wide range of tasks.
This is where things start to get interesting, though. Musk shocked everyone when he said, "I just don't feel comfortable building a robot army here and then being ousted," during a recent meeting with Tesla's owners, also known as shareholders.
In kid-friendly terms, what does that mean? Consider that you and your friends are building a treehouse, but you're afraid that after it's done, they might throw you out and deny you any say in what happens inside. Musk feels that way about the robots at Tesla!
The Trillion-Dollar Question
Musk is requesting a huge compensation package from Tesla shareholders, which could total up to $1 trillion. To put that into perspective, one trillion one-dollar bills would stretch more than twenty-five times from Earth to the moon! The sum of money is so enormous that it is difficult to comprehend.
Musk, however, claims that he does not want to use this money to purchase ostentatious items. Rather, he desires greater authority over Tesla. He currently owns roughly 13% of the business. He would own more than 29% under this new arrangement. Why is this important? Because you have more control over the company's operations the more shares you own.
"If Tesla is going to build millions of intelligent robots, I need to have enough power to make sure they're used in good ways," Musk argues. Building all these robots and then letting others use them for purposes I disagree with is not something I want to do."
Saying "I'll only help build this super powerful tool if I get to keep the instruction manual and have a big say in how everyone uses it" is akin to this.
Why Some People Are Worried
Not everyone agrees that this is a good idea. Glass Lewis and ISS, two prominent investment advisory firms, advised Tesla shareholders to vote "no" on Musk's compensation package. They believe the amount is excessive, particularly in light of Tesla's declining profits.
Musk used a strong and unkind term when he referred to these advisors as "corporate terrorists." They're telling people not to give him what he wants, which irritates him.
Concerns have also been raised by Musk's use of terms like "robot army." It sounds a little frightening, even though he is most likely using it as a figure of speech. After all, robot armies are typically not the heroes in films! Others are concerned that one individual may have excessive control over potent technology that has the potential to alter global operations.
The Real-World Impact: Why This Matters to You
"Why should I care about billionaires arguing over robots?" is a question you may have. Excellent query! This is why everyone should care about this story:
Future Employment: Jobs will change drastically if Musk is correct and millions of robots begin performing tasks that humans currently perform. Your parents' current occupation may differ greatly from yours in the future. According to some experts, robots could assist hospital doctors, deliver packages, and even stack shelves. People will therefore need to acquire new abilities—abilities that robots cannot perform, such as creativity, problem-solving, and caring for others.
Technology and Power: This tale raises a crucial query: Who should be in charge of truly potent technology? Should it be a government, a group of people, or just one individual? Although there are no simple answers to these important questions, your generation will need to give them careful consideration.
The Promise of Electric Vehicles: Some are concerned that Musk is losing sight of Tesla's primary responsibility, which is to produce excellent, environmentally friendly electric vehicles, as he concentrates on robots. Electric vehicles are a component of the solution to the real problem of climate change. The transition from gas-powered to clean electric vehicles may be slowed down if Tesla becomes sidetracked by robot fantasies.
What's Actually Happening with Tesla's Robots?
The robots from Tesla aren't quite ready to take over the world, let's face it. Optimus robots can currently wave at people, walk around (a little unsteady, like a toddler learning to walk), and perform basic tasks. One robot, though it took some time, scooped popcorn at a recent movie premiere!
It is extremely difficult to build a robot that functions similarly to a human. Take a moment to consider your hand. You have five fingers of varying length that can hold a heavy book and a delicate egg. You can sense whether something is smooth or rough, hot or cold, with your fingers. One of the most difficult engineering problems in the world is creating a robot hand that can perform even half of what your hand does naturally.
Initially, Musk stated that by the end of this year, Tesla would have produced 5,000 Optimus robots. According to reports, they are far from that figure. Additionally, he stated that they would produce 100,000 robots every month "next year." Many experts are dubious because Musk has a history of missing his own deadlines, such as his repeated promises of fully autonomous cars "next year" over the previous few years.
The Self-Driving Car Dream
Tesla is also putting a lot of effort into developing self-driving cars, or automobiles that can operate without a driver having to touch the steering wheel. By the end of 2025, according to Musk, Tesla will have robotaxis—self-driving taxis—operating in a number of cities.
Here's a quick way to comprehend the difficulty: Consider teaching a computer to play a video game where the objective is to avoid crashes. Imagine that game has an infinite number of levels and obstacles, and that real people could be harmed if you make a mistake. Building a self-driving car is like that!
Even though Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" software is constantly improving, it isn't yet completely autonomous. Drivers must remain attentive and prepared to take over. This feature is only paid for by 12% of Tesla owners, indicating that many people are either unable to afford it or do not yet trust it.
The Money Problem
This is a startling revelation: Musk contributed roughly 400 million as a result of those tariffs! It's similar to investing money to help someone win an election only to have them do something that costs you even more money. That's not very business-wise, is it?
In the meantime, Tesla's reputation—or how people view the company—has dropped from 12th to 25th place in the world's most valuable brand rankings. Because of their disapproval of Musk's political actions or their belief that Tesla isn't producing enough innovative and exciting products, some customers have stopped purchasing Teslas.
The Big Picture: A World Changing Fast
This story tells us something significant about the world we live in, regardless of whether Musk succeeds or fails. More quickly than ever before, technology is developing. The world you will live in as an adult will be shaped by the choices made today regarding artificial intelligence, robots, and who will control them.
Some envision a time in the future when humans are free to be creative, spend time with their loved ones, or follow their dreams because robots will handle all of the tedious, hazardous, or challenging tasks. "You can actually create a world where there is no poverty, where everyone has access to the finest medical care," Musk stated.
Others fear that if too many jobs are replaced by robots, many people will lose their jobs and poverty will increase rather than decrease. In particular, when it comes to technology that has the potential to transform society, they are concerned about granting too much power to too few people.
Lessons We Can Learn
Dream Big, But Keep Your Promises: Millions of people have been inspired by Musk's big dreams. However, he is also well-known for making unfulfilled promises, such as the eight-year-old claim that fully autonomous vehicles will be ready "next year." The lesson? While having lofty objectives is admirable, people are more likely to trust you if you are forthright about your actual capabilities and timeline.
Power and Money Are Complicated: This tale demonstrates that wealth does not equate to righteousness. Musk's ideas about how to run Tesla are not necessarily the best ones, even though he is the richest person in the world. Anyone can have a good idea, and it's vital to hear other viewpoints.
The Future Requires Careful Consideration As AI and robots become more advanced, we must all carefully consider how we wish to use them. Could humans be harmed by robots, or should they be used to assist people? There are no simple answers to these questions, and intelligent people disagree on them.
Keep Up to Date: Technology is constantly evolving. Your adult career may not even exist yet! Understanding how technology functions, continuing to learn, and maintaining your curiosity are the best ways to get ready. Knowing the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, robots, and technology will help you make wise decisions in life, even if you are not an engineer.
What Happens Next?
Early in November, Tesla's shareholders will cast their votes on Musk's compensation package. Will they grant him greater authority over the "robot army" if they say yes? Or will they refuse and run the risk of him quitting to launch a rival business, as he has indicated he may do?
In any case, Tesla must learn to succeed at two very different things: selling electric vehicles now and developing cutting-edge technology for the future. It would be like attempting to build a rocket ship and win a race at the same time. It's incredibly difficult, but it is possible.
Conclusion: Your Robot Future
There is more to the tale of Elon Musk and his robot army than just one individual or business. It's about the future we're all moving towards, one in which machines may be intelligent enough to work, learn, and possibly even think.
You'll have to make choices about this future as you get older. Are you going to create robots? Write laws governing their use. Give robots new abilities? Or are you going to do something that hasn't been thought of yet?
The most crucial thing to keep in mind is this: Technology is merely a tool. It can be used to create amazing things or to do harm, just like any other tool, be it a computer, a pencil, or a hammer. The technology itself does not make the decision. People make it.
As Elon Musk frets over managing his army of robots, consider this alternative: What kind of future do YOU wish to create? Because the children of today ultimately own the world of tomorrow.
Who knows? Perhaps it will be you who discovers how to use robots to improve everyone's quality of life. That's a tale worth telling!
