Musk Devotes Nearly 50% of Tesla Call Time to AI as Auto Growth Stalls
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Aug 4
Musk Devotes Nearly 50% of Tesla Call Time to AI as Auto Growth Stalls
2 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Aug 4
Summary
Nearly half of Elon Musk’s remarks on recent Tesla earnings calls now center on AI, robotaxis and Full Self-Driving, up from roughly 15%-20% in 2022, according to a seven-year transcript analysis.
That shift has accelerated as Tesla’s core car business stopped growing under pressure from legacy rivals and Chinese entrants, leaving Musk spending less than a third of his time on cars and manufacturing.
Robotics has become a bigger part of the pitch too: Optimus took 10% or more of Musk’s remarks over the past year and nearly a third on the third-quarter 2025 call.
Other executives including CFO Vaibhav Taneja and engineering chief Lars Moravy have moved more slowly, still devoting about 30% of recent call time to the automotive business.
Tesla still shipped nearly 500,000 vehicles last quarter and got 70% of revenue from car sales, underscoring the gap between Musk’s AI narrative and the company’s current business mix.