Missed1,000+ Optimus robots in Tesla factories by 2025
“My prediction is next year we'll have over 1,000, maybe a few thousand, Optimus robots working at Tesla.”
“I think we have a shot at being in production for version one of Optimus hopefully next year.”
— Elon Musk · Apr 7, 2022 · Cyber Rodeo at Giga Texas (official Tesla YouTube channel), Apr 7 2022 — keynote begins ~19:12 ↗
▶ WATCH HIM SAY IT — CYBER RODEO AT GIGA TEXAS (OFFICIAL TESLA YOUTUBE CHANNEL), APR 7 2022 — KEYNOTE BEGINS ~19:12
What actually happened
Musk said at Cyber Rodeo (Apr 7 2022) that Tesla had 'a shot' at producing Optimus version one in 2023. That did not happen — 2023 saw only R&D demonstrations. Limited production slipped to 2025 and remained behind schedule; high-volume production lines were still being installed as of 2026. The 2023 production target was missed. Optimus (robot) — Wikipedia (production timeline) ↗
The Progression
Apr 7, 2022
The promise: “I think we have a shot at being in production for version one of Optimus hopefully next year.” · Cyber Rodeo at Giga Texas (official Tesla YouTube channel), Apr 7 2022 — keynote begins ~19:12 ↗
Dec 31, 2023
Deadline passed. Musk said at Cyber Rodeo (Apr 7 2022) that Tesla had 'a shot' at producing Optimus version one in 2023. That did not happen — 2023 saw only R&D demonstrations. Limited production slipped to 2025 and remained behind schedule; high-volume production lines were still being installed as of 2026. The 2023 production target was missed. Optimus (robot) — Wikipedia (production timeline) ↗
Today · Jun 18, 2026
Status: Missed · 900 days past due. Never happened.
Optimus production ready by 2023 was unveiled in April 2022 with Elon Musk stating he hoped to have the robot production ready by 2023. AI experts and robotics communities are affected and waiting for advancements in humanoid robots. This follows Tesla's pattern of ambitious predictions for AI-driven innovations. The promise highlights Optimus's potential to handle dangerous, repetitive, and boring tasks using the same AI system as Tesla's vehicles.
Receipts
LAST CHECKED 2026-06-17- [VIDEO] Cyber Rodeo at Giga Texas (official Tesla YouTube channel), Apr 7 2022 — keynote begins ~19:12
- [REPORT] en.wikipedia.org
- [REPORT] InsideEVs, Apr 2022 (verbatim quote source)
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