Elon Musk announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Tesla plans to sell its Optimus humanoid robots to the public by the end of 2027, once reliability and safety are assured. Currently performing basic tasks in California factories, the robots will expand training to Texas next month and tackle industrial, household, and caregiving roles, though experts caution on timelines amid competition and past delays.
Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, shared ambitious plans for the Optimus humanoid robot during a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 24, 2026. He stated that the company aims to have Optimus units handling more complex industrial tasks by the end of 2026, with sales to the public commencing by the end of 2027. "By the end of this year I think they'll be doing more complex tasks but still deployed in an industrial environment. By the end of next year I think we'll be selling humanoid robots to the public," Musk said. This marks a quiet adjustment from earlier teases of a 2026 launch.
Currently, a small number of Optimus robots are operational in Tesla's California facilities, performing simple tasks like sorting and transport, separate from main production lines. Designed for repetitive, heavy, boring, or general-purpose tasks—including household chores, childcare, pet care, assisting the elderly, and factory work—the robots aim to boost productivity and handle 'virtually any human task.' Training has evolved; in 2025, Tesla shifted from teleoperation to video-based learning, where workers use camera-equipped helmets or waist bags to capture data for the robots' end-to-end neural networks, similar to those in Tesla's Full Self-Driving system.
Tesla plans to expand training to its Austin, Texas, Gigafactory starting in February 2026. Initial production will be slow due to novel components and processes, following an S-curve ramp-up—Musk called early output 'agonizingly slow,' but predicted acceleration. Priced between $20,000 and $30,000, Musk envisions widespread adoption, with 'everyone on Earth' potentially owning one, creating a trillions-dollar market. Barclays analysts estimate the humanoid robot market at $2-3 billion currently, growing to $40 billion by 2035.
Sales will only proceed once Tesla is confident in reliability, safety, and functionality for human interaction. However, experts express caution, citing past delays in Tesla projects like Optimus and Cybercab, challenges in scaling autonomy for complex environments, and criticism of prior demonstrations involving remote human control. Competition is intense, especially from China, which leads with over 15,000 humanoid robots in global use—about 80% Chinese-made. Tesla recently saw the departure of Optimus project lead Milan Kovac.
Investors showed optimism post-announcement, with Tesla's stock rising more than 3%, though broader skepticism persists among some, including Reddit users questioning the 2027 target.
