‘That’s The Bet’: Palmer Luckey Backs Elon Musk’s $150 Billion Robotaxi Ambitions as Tesla Tops Waymo in Texas

Anduril Industries co-founder Palmer Luckey has backed Tesla Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Robotaxi efforts as the company’s fleet surpassed Alphabet Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Waymo in Texas.

Tesla Has Over 1,300 Robotaxis in Texas

In a post on X on Tuesday, influencer and Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt said the company’s Texas fleet totaled 1,302 vehicles, marking the first time it has surpassed Waymo’s. “Tesla just added another 20 Model Ys,” Merritt said.

Tesla has just officially surpassed Waymo in the total number of robotaxis registered to date in Texas for the first time.

• Tesla: 1,302
• Waymo: 1,297

Tesla just added another 20 Model Ys. pic.twitter.com/3XdLoPFea5

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) November 10, 2026

According to the Robotaxi Tracker, Tesla has registered 1,302 Robotaxis in Texas. The company’s fleet of 681 unsupervised Robotaxis includes 411 Model Y units and 270 Cybercabs across Texas and parts of Florida, the tracker data showed at the time of writing this article.

Luckey Flags Robotaxi Opportunity

As Tesla recorded its Robotaxi surge, user Carl Hancock on X questioned the benefit of Robotaxis in the ride-hailing sector that has roughly 16 million drivers on the road.

Luckey responded to the post with his take. “Take that ridesharing revenue ($150B+) and subtract the cost of paying 16,000,000 drivers. That is the bet,” Luckey said in his response.

Take that ridesharing revenue ($150B+) and subtract the cost of paying 16,000,000 drivers. That is the bet.

— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) November 10, 2026

Tesla Confirms Cybertruck Wind Down

The emphasis on self-driving and Robotaxis was further solidified as Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla would be winding down production of the Cybertruck at the Gigafactory in Texas to shift focus to the Cybercab. Musk also said that Tesla will have to issue refunds for the Cybertruck’s deposits to several prospective owners following the sunset.

The Cybertruck has been a polarizing figure in the automotive industry, with critics lamenting the pickup truck’s unconventional design. It has also failed to live up to Musk and Tesla’s sales and profitability targets since it was first introduced in 2019, with deliveries beginning in 2023.

Price Action: TSLA shares were up 1.65% to $386.04 during the overnight trading session on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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