At Tesla's shareholder meeting on November 6, 2025, CEO Elon Musk proposed releasing criminals from prison and assigning them a free Optimus robot to prevent future crimes. The robot would follow and surveil them constantly, allowing freedom otherwise. This idea came amid discussions on Tesla's humanoid robot advancements.
Tesla's annual shareholder meeting took place on November 6, 2025, where investors voted to dilute their own voting rights, granting CEO Elon Musk greater control over the company. Amid concerns over declining sales, earnings, and brand reputation linked to Musk's leadership, the discussion shifted to Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot.
Musk highlighted potential future applications for Optimus, which has shown incremental improvements but remains limited in utility. He has previously claimed Optimus could add $25 trillion to $30 trillion in market value to Tesla and form an 'enormous robot army' under his control, potentially expanding the economy by 10 times or more.
In a notable suggestion, Musk proposed using Optimus for criminal justice reform. He stated: "Y’know we might maybe able to give people a more – if somebody’s committed crime – a more humane form of containment of future crime. Which is if you say, like, you now get a free Optimus and it’s just gonna follow you around and stop you from doing crime. But other than that you get to do anything. It’s just gonna stop you from committing crime, that’s really it. You don’t have to put people in prisons and stuff, I think."
Under this plan, released prisoners would receive a free Optimus robot, valued at tens of thousands of dollars, to surveil and intervene in criminal acts. The robot would need advanced capabilities, including predicting behavior, constant surveillance, combat skills to subdue individuals, mobility to follow anywhere, and autonomous operation without frequent recharging. Current Optimus demonstrations, such as handing out candy in Times Square, have required plugging in for basic tasks and may involve teleoperation.
The proposal raises questions about feasibility and consistency with Musk's self-described libertarian views, which typically oppose extensive state surveillance. Providing government-funded robots for monitoring could expand oversight and costs, potentially conflicting with his advocacy for reduced state control.