--- title: "This 2016 Elon Musk Prediction About the Future Turned Out to Be Hilariously Wrong" description: "Back in 2016, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made a prediction that, unfortunately, turned out to be wildly overconfident." date: "2022-03-25" modified: "2022-03-25" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-summon-prediction" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "full self-driving" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # This 2016 Elon Musk Prediction About the Future Turned Out to Be Hilariously Wrong ![Back in 2016, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made a prediction that, unfortunately, turned out to be wildly overconfident.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## I Summon You When he's wrong, he's wrong, folks. Way back in January 2016 — remember 2016?— before he was either the world's richest man or [Twitter's favored heel](), Tesla CEO [Elon Musk predicted]() that within approximately two years Tesla owners would be able to click a button and summon their self-driving cars across the country. "In \~2 years, summon should work anywhere connected by land & not blocked by borders, eg you're in LA and the car is in NY," the Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted, to endless accolades from his adoring stans. https://twitter.com/danahull/status/686284195799429125 ## Full Self Delusion It should come as no shock that Musk's pipe dream, which hinges upon the concept of [Teslas being able to operate full self-driving]() (FSD) mode successfully, [has yet to come true]() in the six years since he sent that tweet. That's especially considering that [it's been eight years running]() that he's claimed the tech would happen in the subsequent year. ## Keeping Tabs To be clear, these are far from the only broken promises Musk has made regarding Teslas — there are so many, in fact, that in early 2021, one automotive magazine [published a running list of them all](). As *Road and Track* noted, Musk said in 2019 that he was "very confident" that there would be upwards of a million autonomous Tesla "robotaxies" [on the streets of major cities by 2020](). Hasn't happened yet, people. As always, we're forced to ask: why do people keep buying this guy's boastful claims when his track record is so hit or miss? **READ MORE:** [Checking in on All the Promises Elon Musk and Tesla Have Made]() \[*Road & Track*\] **More FSD:** [*Tesla Fires Employee Who Posted Shocking YouTube Videos About Its Full Self-Driving Beta*]() ## 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]()