The company has avoided major legal problems for fatal accidents involving its partially automated Autopilot and FSD features. An autonomous ride service changes that.

The long-awaited robotaxi rollout comes at a crucial time for Tesla. Elon Musk under pressure after announcing robotaxi takeover of major US city: 'Waiting on regulatory approvals' first appeared on The Cool Down.

Trading at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of more than 150 times 2025 analyst estimates, Tesla's valuation still reflects a future where autonomous driving becomes mainstream, and where Tesla, not Waymo or another company, is the dominant player. That's a huge bet, and right now, it wouldn't be the robotaxi company I'd wager on.

Elon Musk said just a few weeks ago that betting on Tesla delivering its promised Robotaxi in June is a “money-making opportunity,” and yet, those who listened to him just lost big. A fan of Musk lost $50,000 betting on Tesla Robotaxi. With the rise in prediction markets, you can bet on virtually everything these days.

YouTuber and Tesla fan Ellie Sheriff took her first ride in the company's self-driving ride-hail vehicle in Austin, Texas, and documented the whole experience on her channel "Ellie in Space." She was excited, nervous, and admittedly impressed — until the trip took an unexpected detour.

An Austin official told Fortune it had no choice in the matter: 'the City does not have the authority to regulate these vehicles.'