--- title: "Tesla Stock in Tailspin After Error-Plagued Robotaxi Debut" description: "Things are going very, very wrong for Tesla — and we're not just talking about how crappy its Robotaxis are, either." date: "2025-06-25" modified: "2025-06-25" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/tesla-stock-robotaxi-launch" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "autonomous driving" - "robotaxi" - "Stocks" - "tesla" --- # Tesla Stock in Tailspin After Error-Plagued Robotaxi Debut ![Things are going very, very wrong for Tesla — and we're not just talking about how crappy its Robotaxis are, either.]() *\Image: Kevin Dietsch / Getty / Futurism\* Things are veering way off the road for Tesla. In the wake of the [long-awaited Robotaxi rollout]() in Austin, Tesla stock saw an [initial bump]() — but those gains weren't able to withstand the ample bad press the autonomous cabs have gotten in the few days they've trawled Texas streets. On Tuesday, the botched Robotaxi launch led [Tesla stock]() to drop more than four percent and nearly $15 in a single day. That falloff came after videos emerged showing the driverless cabs — which also, embarrassingly, still have human "[safety monitors]()" riding shotgun — breaking traffic laws and driving erratically. One of the most [viral Robotaxi freakouts]() shows one of the not-exactly-self-driving cabs [braking repeatedly when driving near police cars](), blowing through an intersection, and swerving into oncoming traffic — all within the brief 20 minutes that the ride was filmed by its backseat passenger. In another unsettling Robotaxi video, the Model Y's self-driving steering wheel [jerks back and forth]() while plowing through another intersection before careening across a double-yellow line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s-h0YXtF0c&t=420s The videos weren't only seen by internet critics, but also by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which [confirmed to *Bloomberg*]() earlier this week that it was [aware of the clips]() and looking into whatever the heck is going on in them. In an investor note [shared with *MarketWatch*](), erstwhile [Tesla bull Tom Narayan]() of RBC Capital Markets pointed out that the inclusion of human safety monitors and remote drivers in the Robotaxi rollout came as a rude surprise to stockholders banking on a revolutionary demo. "Robotaxis are critical to the Tesla investment case," Narayan wrote. If the company can prove to stockholders (and the rest of the world) that its [autonomous driving capabilities]() are legit, the analyst noted, the company would edge out its competition both in the driverless cab sphere and in EV world. With the way things are going for Tesla, however, that seems like a big "if." "Only time will tell if this will work," the analyst concluded. And even if you look past all the drama, it's clear that Tesla's competitor Waymo is blowing it out of the water as it expands service to [city]() after [city](). **More on Tesla trouble:** [*Cybertruck Burned So Severely That Its Driver's Bones Disintegrated*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()