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Comment by Animats | Hacker News Reader

So what does it mean for Tesla's "Robotaxi"? Is that being shut down?

It's pathetic. The Austin Robotaxi demo had a "safety monitor" in the front passenger seat, with an emergency stop button. But there were failures where the safety driver had to stop the vehicle, get out, walk around the car, get into the drivers's seat, and drive manually. So now the "safety monitor" sits in the driver's seat.[1] It's just Uber now.

Do you have to tip the "safety monitor"?

And for this, Musk wants the biggest pay package in history?

[1] https://electrek.co/2025/09/03/tesla-moves-robotaxi-safety-m...

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The article is wrong. What happened is that they added some highway-capable ridehail vehicles, and only those vehicles have the safety person in the drivers seat. Frederic (the author) lives in Canada, he doesn't have access to any recent version of FSD.

See this article in Gizmodo.[1]

"In a visible sign of its shifting posture from daredevil innovation to cautious compliance, Tesla this week relocated its robotaxi safety monitors, employees who supervise the autonomous software’s performance and can take over the vehicle’s operation at any moment, from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat."

And this one in Electrek.[2]

The state of Texas recently enacted regulations for self-driving cars that require more reporting. Tesla's Robotaxi with a driver is not a self-driving car under Texas law.

Musk claims Tesla will remove the safety driver by the end of the year. Is there a prediction market on that?

[1] https://gizmodo.com/tesla-robotaxi-2000653821

[2] https://electrek.co/2025/09/03/tesla-moves-robotaxi-safety-m...

Both Gizmodo and Electrek are wrong.

Seeking Alpha: [1] "In sharp contrast, Tesla FSD largely remains a beta product that still requires drivers' attention. Even their Robotaxi service, which likely launched more out of necessity to stay in the headlines as opposed to actual readiness, requires a full-time human to monitor the vehicle. Independent data consistently shows that Tesla requires far more human intervention on a per mile basis than Waymo. This is not surprising as it seems FSD errors are becoming commonplace, with numerous examples of Tesla's FSD mode swerving into oncoming traffic, misinterpreting construction zones, and even failing to recognize pedestrians continuing to pile up."

[1] https://seekingalpha.com/article/4818639-tesla-robotaxi-ambi...

Seeking Alpha (this author anyway) is also wrong. They don't have data, and there are tons of examples of Waymo making mistakes, hitting buses, etc.

None of this is independent reporting. They're reading the same social media posts and repackaging them into articles. None of these authors are based in Austin where robotaxi is.

Coverge in Austin-American Statesman newspaper. "After its June 22 rollout in Austin, Tesla launched a ride-hailing service in the Bay Area under the same name, but the cars there all come with a driver behind the wheel. Beyond the fact it’s still not driverless in either city, Tesla’s ride-hailing service has so far been available only to a limited list of influencers and brand fans — many of whom monetize their content by promoting Tesla online."[1]

[1] https://www.statesman.com/business/technology/article/tesla-...

The bay area situation is different - they are waiting for California approval to not have someone in the drivers' seat. This is different from Texas. But you don't have to be an influencer or brand fan. Anyone can download the app, verify their location, get on a waitlist, and get off the waitlist sequential order.

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