Tesla’s first customers will be itself

The story

Tesla says it will start selling Cybercabs by the end of the year, though federal regulators are investigating whether the vehicle meets safety standards. The Cybercab is an autonomous two-seater without a steering wheel, and Tesla plans to first deploy them in its own robotaxi fleet before selling them to third parties.

Source: techcrunch.com

Our reading

Tesla’s Cybercab is a car that doesn’t need a driver, but it does need a boss. The company says it will start selling the vehicle by year’s end, but the first ones will be used in its own robotaxi fleet. It’s like a company launching a product, but only giving it to itself first.

That’s not unusual. Many companies test products internally before releasing them to the public. But Tesla is doing it with a vehicle that’s supposed to be a consumer product. The Cybercab is meant to be a ride-hailing vehicle, not something people own. Which makes sense, if you’re the one who’s going to be driving it.

It’s a bit like a restaurant opening a new menu, but only serving it to the staff first. The customers get the final version, but the first taste is always the chef’s.