Elon Musk Predicts Reshaping of US Economy - Newsweek
Published Nov 11, 2025 at 12:51 PM EST updated Nov 11, 2025 at 12:52 PM EST By Hugh Cameron U.S. News Reporter Newsweek is a Trust Project member Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes his company’s forays into humanoid robotics and broader technological developments...
Key takeaways
Elon Musk says Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, is now moving from prototype to mass production and will become a cornerstone of the company’s future. At the 2025 shareholder meeting he announced that the first production line will be built at the Fremont plant, targeting roughly one million units per year, with the potential to scale to ten million annually at Gigafactory Texas and even a speculative 100‑million‑unit line on Mars. Musk linked the robot to a “sustainable abundance” vision, claiming Optimus could be “the biggest product of all time,” dramatically boost productivity, eliminate poverty and enable a form of universal basic income. He also tied the robot to his new performance‑award compensation plan, which requires Tesla to deliver one million Optimus units to unlock a valuation tranche. The rollout is positioned alongside other AI‑driven initiatives such as robotaxis and the upcoming Cybercab, underscoring Musk’s belief that humanoid robots will reshape the global economy.
Published
Nov 11, 2025 at 12:51 PM EST
updated
Nov 11, 2025 at 12:52 PM EST
By Hugh Cameron
U.S. News Reporter
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes his company’s forays into humanoid robotics and broader technological developments could lead to a drastic reshaping of the American and global economies. Musk’s enthusiasm for automation and the promise of artificial intelligence, coming as Tesla prepares for the mass production of its humanoid robot, has been echoed by certain business leaders across the United States. Figures such as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang have predicted positive changes to global working and living conditions. At the company’s recent shareholder meeting, Musk said Tesla’s Optimus robot could go on to become “the biggest product of all time by far,” and that the new capabilities it offers will “actually eliminate poverty.”
During an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast days earlier, Musk said that advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence could lead to an enhanced form of universal basic income (UBI), in which “anyone can have any products or services that they want.”
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