Tesla has launched tests of driverless taxis without a controller in the cabin - ForkLog: cryptocurrencies, AI, singularity, future

# Tesla Launches Tests of Driverless Taxis Without Cabin Controller

Tesla has launched driverless taxis without controlling drivers, but also currently without passengers. This was reported by the company’s CEO Elon Musk.

Testing is underway with no occupants in the car

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 14, 2025

“Today, an autonomous Tesla robotaxi was spotted on the roads of Austin, Texas. There was no one in the car, including a safety driver. Fully autonomous. This is really happening,” — posted by user X with the handle DogeDesigner.

The company’s stock rose by 3.56% on Monday. Over the year, it increased by 18% and is trading about 1% below the record highs set in December 2024.

Source: Yahoo Finance. For over ten years, Musk has promised Tesla investors and customers a modernization of electric vehicles into autonomous transport capable of functioning as robotaxis and making trips across the country without human intervention.

In June, the company launched its first test trips in Austin. One passenger noted the vehicle’s high speed and autonomous parking capabilities.

“The fleet will wake up thanks to wireless software updates. Slowly, and then all at once,” — said Tesla’s X account. As of mid-October, the company’s vehicles had been involved in seven accidents. The collisions were not serious.

Professor at Carnegie Mellon University and researcher in autonomous system safety, Philip Kuppmann, noted that this is significant considering the small fleet of about 30 cars and the presence of a safety controller in each vehicle, whose task is to prevent accidents.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles and the Public Utilities Commission confirmed that Tesla has not yet submitted applications for the permits necessary to conduct autonomous vehicle testing in the state without a human driver or for commercial operation of robotaxis.

In the autonomous vehicle sector, Tesla lags behind Alphabet’s Waymo in the US and firms Apollo Go and WeRide in Asia.

$600 billion Musk

However, Musk outpaces competitors in capital. His wealth has reached a record, surpassing $600 billion for the first time following a new valuation of SpaceX.

According to Bloomberg, the valuation of the billionaire’s total assets increased to nearly $638 billion after the company’s value reached $800 billion following insider stock sales.

Musk’s wealth. Source: Bloomberg. SpaceX has once again become the most valuable private company in the world. Previously, OpenAI displaced it from the top spot. However, the competition is not over — the ChatGPT developer is preparing for a public stock offering valued at $1 trillion. Although, in such a case, it would lose its status as a private company.

Musk’s space company also plans an initial public offering with a valuation of $1.5 trillion. If successful, the entrepreneur could become the world’s first trillionaire, owning 42% of the shares.

Recall that in December, Time magazine named Musk and other AI architects “People of the Year.”