--- title: "Elon Musk’s New Optimus Robot Demo Is So Painful It Will Make You Wince" description: "Tesla has a long way to go until it can successfully have AI-powered bipedal robots replace human jobs, according to a new video." date: "2025-09-04" modified: "2025-09-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-new-robot-demo-bad" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "Humanoid Robots" - "optimus" - "tesla" --- # Elon Musk’s New Optimus Robot Demo Is So Painful It Will Make You Wince ![Tesla has a long way to go until it can successfully have AI-powered bipedal robots replace human jobs, according to a new video.]() *\Image: Marc Benioff\* Hot off of [proudly announcing]() that he had replaced 4,000 people with AI at his company, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff [posted a video]() of Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus, calling it a "productivity game-changer." However, going by the 52-second clip, the carmaker has a long way to go until it can successfully have AI-powered bipedal robots replace human jobs. Is this really what will make up a whopping 80 percent of Tesla's value, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk [promised in a tweet]() earlier this week? In an apparent effort to shift the company's priorities from slumping car sales, the mercurial entrepreneur has doubled down on AI and its humanoid robot in an apparent effort to stop investors from running for the hills. But Benioff's latest demo leaves a lot to be desired, suggesting the company is still a long way out from realizing Musk's goal of having the robot catapult Tesla's market value to a [dubiously high $25 trillion](), let alone complete the most basic of human tasks. https://twitter.com/Benioff/status/1963264973452546482 "Hey Optimus, do you know where I can get a Coke?" Benioff asked the golden, life-sized robot. "Sorry, I don't..." Optimus answered, before cutting itself off, "...have real-time info, but I can take you to the kitchen if you want to check for a Coke there." After the pair talked over each other for a bit, Optimus finally lurched into action, awkwardly waddling down the aisle of a nondescript office environment. "I think we need to give it a bit more room," Musk could be heard saying off-camera. "Right now, it's kind of paranoid about space." "It'll be able to walk a lot faster, too," he added, in an apparent attempt to reassure Benioff as the robot slowly lumbered down the carpeted hallway. Ahead of plunging sales and abysmal quarterly earnings, Musk [promised in January]() that "things are really going to go ballistic next year," promising to produce 100,000 Optimus robots a month by then. But in July, [*The Information* reported]() that the company had fallen far behind in its efforts to ramp up production, failing to keep up with its own stated goal of building 5,000 Optimus robots this year. The company is also reportedly facing severe bottlenecks that are slowing down production, as well as technical problems related to Optimus' hands. In fact, the hands of the Optimus robot in Benioff's video don't appear to have any degree of dexterity, closely resembling the appendages of a mannequin. In June, Milan Kovac, the head of engineering for the Optimus robot program, [abruptly left the company](), stating that he was looking to spend more time with his family. As Tesla continues to struggle with its humanoid robot, the competition is heating up fast. Manufacturers, particularly in China, are [figuratively and literally running circles]() around their US-based counterparts. While Benioff suggests that an Optimus robot will cost anywhere up to half a million dollars, Chinese robot company Unitree is already selling a bipedal alternative for a [mere $16,000]() — which can [do a lot more]() than vaguely pointing out where the kitchen is. **More on Optimus:** *[Elon Musk Is Getting Destroyed by Yet Another Chinese Company]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()