Elon Musk has increasingly shifted his focus during Tesla earnings calls from the automotive business to AI and robotics projects, according to a recent analysis. The data shows that Musk now spends nearly half his time discussing artificial intelligence, robotaxis, and Full Self-Driving software, up from 15%-20% in 2022. This reflects a broader strategic pivot for Tesla, where Musk has been emphasizing the company’s role in advancing autonomous technologies and robotics, despite its continued reliance on car sales for revenue. Musk has consistently argued that Tesla’s value is tied to its progress in autonomy, stating, 'If you value Tesla as just an auto company – fundamentally, it’s the wrong framework.'
The analysis, conducted by Hudson Labs, mapped Musk’s speaking patterns over seven years of earnings calls. It revealed that Musk’s focus on Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot, has grown significantly, with the project occupying at least 10% of his remarks in the past year. On the third-quarter 2025 call, Optimus accounted for nearly a third of Musk’s comments. Meanwhile, discussions about cars and manufacturing have dwindled, with Musk now spending less than a third of his time on those topics. This shift aligns with Tesla’s core automotive business stagnating as competition intensified from legacy automakers and new Chinese entrants.
Other Tesla executives, such as CFO Vaibhav Taneja and VP of engineering Lars Moravy, have also shifted their focus, though they remain more centered on the automotive business. They still allocate around 30% of their time to car-related topics, compared to nearly 50% in previous years. Taneja recently emphasized the challenges of achieving 'amazing abundance' through bold investments, stating, 'Our progress will be non-linear. The future is going to be great.'
Source: techcrunch
