Uber's alleged fight against robotaxis in Washington, D.C., favors Tesla over Uber. @wholemars says Uber is trying to keep them out of the city and that riding in one builds public support. Sell Uber, buy Tesla. x.com
Chansoo Byeon
Architect, Tesla Commentary
Tesla has won the robotaxi race by fully vertically integrating and taking very high risks, while Uber has nothing to offer, and neither do the manufacturers it partners with. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's posts promoting partner driverless rides, such as Verne and Pony AI's service in Zagreb, look desperate. x.com
Uber is pouring money into the Minneapolis drivers' union to support its fight against Waymo and Tesla as the robotaxi era finally arrives. The StarTribune reports that Minneapolis may require driverless vehicles to have someone in the driver's seat. x.com
Tesla's Cybercab ramp is gaining ground against Waymo in Austin. Robotaxi Tracker puts Tesla at 438,000 robotaxi miles in the week to October 18, versus Waymo's 406,000 weekly average in Q2 2026; Waymo's data lag means this is not a same-week comparison. x.com
Tesla's robotaxi service is not reliable enough for customers to replace a car. Per @koby_pierce, the Houston geofence is about 26% smaller than advertised; Tesla used a rocket-shaped map that misled customers about reachable coverage. x.com x.com
Uber has big long-term secular problems, enough to make even CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's $10M token insider buy a moment to consider shorting, though actually shorting is not recommended. Beyond the Waymo and robotaxi threat, an AI agent that constantly checks every app for the best price would hurt Uber, consistently the highest-priced ride service. Uber would need to lower prices, and it lacks the tech stack. x.com x.com
Tesla's growing Texas robotaxi roster could mean more vehicles deployed soon. Its 970 DMV registrations, including 463 Cybercabs, have significantly narrowed the gap with Waymo's 1,207. Registration does not mean those vehicles are operating in the field yet. x.com
Uber looks cheap, and insiders who know the company best are buying, a point @SteurJonas69716 raises. The stock is a solid buy as long as robotaxis do not kill the business, which is doubtful. x.com x.com
Tesla's growing Cybercab robotaxi registrations set up the next burn for short sellers. Texas registrations rose by 81 today to 544, per the state registry data shown in the chart. x.com
Expanding unsupervised robotaxi coverage supports Tesla's autonomy thesis and the view that it is entering the “and then” phase. Sawyer Merritt lists fully autonomous geofences in Austin, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, with Houston's area up 916% in one day. x.com
Uber's network effects could make it the app robotaxi fleets need to keep their cars fully operational. It is one of the best platforms on earth and a five-year buy at today's valuation, with opportunity too compelling to pass up despite shares falling about 25% in the past year on robotaxi fears. Bookings grew 24% last quarter and trailing free cash flow exceeded $10 billion. Waymo and Tesla could choose to bypass Uber; Waymo already runs its own app in most of its cities. x.com
Tesla's Austin robotaxi mileage is pulling away from Waymo's last reported weekly average despite Waymo's five-year head start. Tesla logged 438,000 driverless miles in the week to October 18 versus Waymo's 406,000 weekly average for Q2, a months-older figure. Tesla will own the robotaxi industry. x.com