Elon Musk's Mother Recalls Borrowing First Tesla Roadster In 2008—Now Celebrates Robotaxi Launch With Joyride In Driverless Car: 'No One Knew What It Was'

Kaustubh Bagalkote

June 23, 2025

Maye Musk, mother of Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, commemorated the company’s Robotaxi launch by reflecting on her early experience with Tesla’s first vehicle nearly two decades ago.

What Happened: “In 2008, the Tesla Roadster was launched. I borrowed one for this photoshoot in NYC. No one knew what it was,” Maye Musk wrote on X. “And now, it’s Tesla Robotaxi day in Austin, Texas. Love the excitement on the X posts – being driven in a car without a driver, steering wheel or pedals is so cool.”

Tesla officially launched its Robotaxi service in Austin on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in the autonomous vehicle sector. The small-scale rollout featured over 10 Tesla Model Y vehicles operating in Austin’s South Congress neighborhood through an invite-only event targeting social media influencers.

In 2008, the Tesla Roadster was launched. I borrowed one for this photoshoot in NYC. No one knew what it was.
And now, it's Tesla Robotaxi day in Austin, Texas.
Love the excitement on the @X posts – being driven in a car without a driver, steering wheel or pedals is so cool 😎â€¦ pic.twitter.com/EmUrpVYmQ1
— Maye Musk (@mayemusk) June 22, 2025

The company deployed a dedicated booking app similar to Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) for ride-hailing services. Tesla positioned safety monitors in the front seats during operations, though their level of control over the Unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) system remains unconfirmed.

See Also: US Issues Worldwide Caution After Strikes On Iran's Nuclear Sites: State Department Warns Of Airspace Closures, Travel Chaos And Rising Threats To Americans Abroad

Why It Matters: Tesla’s entry into autonomous ride-hailing intensifies competition with Alphabet Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Waymo and Amazon.com Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Zoox. Waymo has expanded operations across California and conducts trials nationwide, while Zoox has established a second production facility to scale operations.

The launch comes as Tesla faces scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding FSD performance in adverse weather conditions. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives previously valued Tesla’s AI and autonomous driving technology at $1 trillion.

Tesla shares climbed 1.5% in Monday pre-market trading following the announcement. The company also announced plans to invest $8 billion in U.S. manufacturing in 2025, following $10 billion invested in 2024.

Tesla scores high on Momentum, Quality, and Growth, but falls short on Value. For more insights like this, sign up for Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings today!

Read Next:

Northrop Grumman Jumps 5% Overnight As B-2 Bombers Return To Missouri After 36-Hour Iran Strike: Trump Says ‘Job Well Done’

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo Courtesy: Vladimir Tretyakov / Shutterstock.com

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