Tesla Hasn't Launched a Successful New Product Since JB Straubel Left as CTO
Tesla Hasn't Had a Successful New Product Launch Since JB Straubel Stepped Down
Tesla is winding down Cybertruck production after a project that reportedly lost around $2 billion: tooling built for 125,000 trucks a year, only about 70,000 sold over three years, and roughly $100 million in gross profit. Since JB Straubel stepped down as CTO in July 2019, the company has shipped no clear hit beyond refreshes of the Model 3 and Model Y, leaving the Cybercab as the next test.
Since JB Straubel stepped down from his role as CTO of Tesla, however, if one thinks about it, it's hard to identify any successful product launch from the company or much significant improvement at all.
- Avicebron
Isn't Tesla trying to be SpaceX's vertically integrated robotics division? My gut feeling says they are trying to move out of the EV business as crazy as that may seem to us normals.
- martincsweiss
There's too many confounders to say that JB Straubel is the cause.
Examples: Covid controversies around musk in 2020, Twitter acquisition in 2022, Musk becoming the world richest person in 2021
- hn_submit
The CyberCab won't work out since it has to be truly self driving, as opposed to Tesla's Full Self Driving (Supervised) which is merely a driving aid with the driver responsible if something goes wrong.
That means it will have to be more capable a driver than most human beings and that seems unlikely at the moment if you look at how well FSD works today. Yes, it works okay most of the time, but that's just not good enough for a self-driving taxi cab without a steering wheel or controls. And Tesla can't have thousands of remote taxi-drivers standing by all the time. That would make the service uneconomical and a loss leader.
- xqcgrek2
Tesla is one china EV tariff away from bankruptcy
- nobodyandproud
The Cybertruck grossly misunderstood the target audience.
Look at the Maverick sales, when it was 20k. Slate Auto seems to have gotten it right.
- sheepscreek
This is an opinion piece - there’s no factual basis (nor any facts quoted) to support this narrative at all. Plus, key things missing from the calculus include:
- COVID, that put a strain on manufacturing during lockdowns and the eventual worldwide supply chain disruptions
- the new administration and its anti EV stance
- emergence of AI
- betting the future of Tesla on Optimus (product) and Robotaxi (service)
How much could JB Staubel have influenced Tesla during these times is anybody’s guess.
- jdross
FSD that actually works and the massively popular in live markets robotaxi service are the obvious answer to “big-deal things that came after this CTO left”
$2B cybertruck failure barely registers vs how impactful FSD has been on model Y / 3 sales. Tesla is supply constrained again, with multi-month waits for the model Y L edition
- phyzix5761
Tesla Model Y is the best selling car in the world for like 3 years in a row. They don't need a new product any time soon.
Edit: All you Tesla haters just google "best selling car in the world last 3 years" and you'll see.