Tesla’s much-anticipated robotaxi debut recently in Austin has sparked intense social media activity, blending enthusiasm with critical scrutiny. While early adopters praised the innovation and smooth user experience, concerns about safety and performance persist.
Influencers are now driving conversations around Tesla’s potential to disrupt the ride-hailing market, comparing its cautious rollout to more mature autonomous rivals like Waymo, reveals the Social Media Analytics Platform of GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Launched over the last weekend with only a small number of cars and human supervision on and off the road, the robotaxi service was perceived as a significant milestone in Tesla’s long-anticipated journey toward fully autonomous transportation.
Shreyasee Majumder, Social Media Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Tesla’s robotaxi has ignited a wave of excitement and skepticism, with influencers buzzing about its potential to revolutionize ride-hailing by outpacing competitors like Waymo and Uber Technologies in cost and efficiency, potentially solidifying Tesla’s position. The discussions highlight smooth and responsive rides that adhere to traffic rules, fostering hope that the robotaxi will eventually be affordable for widespread use.
“However, while some praise Tesla’s advancements in autonomous driving and envision a transformative future for transportation, a few raised safety concerns, noting that Tesla’s reliance on safety operators contrasts with Waymo’s fully driverless technology.”
Below are a few popular influencer opinions captured by GlobalData’s Social Media Analytics Platform:
“Waymos are all over SF but they are slower and more expensive than human driven Ubers. If Tesla RoboTaxi beats Waymo and Uber on price and speed, it will become the world’s most valuable company! Zero doubt about it….”
“Tesla’s robotaxi will undoubtedly improve. But this was not safe driving. You don’t see this in Waymos today. Again, Tesla will get better. But doesn’t seem like they’re there yet.”
“Yesterday, we witnessed a very successful launch of Tesla Robotaxis in Austin, with no problems, difficulties or challenges whatsoever. All customers reported flawless performance of the autonomous vehicles, and both the app and the controls in the back seat of the vehicles were interactive and intuitively easy to use. The rides were smooth but also responsive when necessary, and were indistinguishable from those of a good human driver on the road. All traffic rules were followed, and one vehicle even pulled over when an emergency vehicle approached from behind which many human drivers fail to do in a proper way…”
“Hope the Tesla Robotaxi is affordable for everyone to use once it’s produced at a large scale. It would be cool to get a ride to SpaceX Starbase in a self-driving Robotaxi. It’s a ~35 min drive from where I live.”
