Elon Musk Says He'd Be 'Stunned' If Any Robot Rivals Optimus At Launch: Gene Munster Calls It A Tesla 'Call Option' With 'Massive Value'

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk said some humanoid robot demonstrations rely on pre-programmed tasks and he aims to release footage of Optimus working without a script in a month or two, ahead of its first deliveries to other companies late next year.

Optimus Footage That Isn’t ‘Canned‘

On the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, Musk described some humanoid robot demos as “pre-programmed deterministic tasks” and not advanced artificial intelligence.

Tesla plans to release an Optimus video in a month or two, and he wants to make sure it is “not a canned demo.”

The first customers are likely industrial companies with dangerous or repetitive work, with deliveries targeted around the end of next year, he said, adding that reaching 20,000 units a week at the Fremont line in California will take “at least a year, maybe a little longer.”

The billionaire said he would be “stunned” if any rival has a robot “remotely competitive with Optimus” when deliveries begin to customers.

What Comes Next for Optimus

Tesla aims to put its AI5 chip in Optimus around April, which Musk called “an order of magnitude more compute” than AI4.

Last week, Musk said that “Optimus and Cybercab will be the vast majority of Tesla’s value.”

Deepwater Asset Management’s Gene Munster said in a post on X that most investors still see Optimus as “optionality,” but “that call option that has massive value.”

Elon says in one year to 20k Optimus units per week. I would guess he is talking about exiting run rate at the end of 2027.

That implies about 1m in 2028.

My take: The Optimus conversation is still considered optionality for most investors. That call option that has massive…

— Gene Munster (@munster_gene) October 21, 2026

Tesla has reportedly placed its first large-scale component order for roughly 5,000 Optimus units, which the company has not confirmed yet.

Tops Q3 Wall Street Estimates

The company reported third-quarter revenue of $28.05 billion, flat from the prior year and above Wall Street consensus estimate of $27.88 billion, according to Benzinga Pro. Adjusted earnings were 48 cents per share, beating the consensus of 43 cents.

Automotive revenue was $20.56 billion in the quarter, down 3% year over year.

Price Action: On Wednesday, shares climbed 3.41% to close at $386.47 and fell 3.32% to $373.65 in extended trading on the results announcement after the bell.

Benzinga Edge rankings indicate Tesla’s stock has a Momentum score in the 26th percentile and a Growth score in the 41st percentile.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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