Apparently, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk wasn't always eager to put robots on the production floor. However, it seems that Musk is now ready to accept and even embrace the automation revolution. He's even getting ready to unveil a robotics project with implications far beyond car manufacturing. It's a risky proposition, to be sure, yet I am bullish on Tesla stock nonetheless.
Electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Tesla is known for its controversy-courting chief executive as much as its sleek, powerful cars and trucks. Musk pioneered, or at least popularized, the vehicle electrification movement in America.
Now, however, he's preparing to expand into a new but related business venture. Consequently, Tesla stock investors will need to be on board with Musk's evolving vision of what EV production should look like - and who (or more accurately, what) will make the clean energy vehicles of today and tomorrow.
Tesla's Investors Should Mark Their Calendars for September 30Get ready, Tesla shareholders, as September 30 will be a day to remember. No, it's not an earnings report or even a new vehicle release. It could actually be more impactful than any recent Tesla event, as "AI Day" just might unveil the future trajectory of the company, and of automation technology in general.
On that day, Tesla plans to reveal a prototype from the company's project known as Optimus (presumably, a reference to the Transformers film series). Optimus is designed to be a labor-saving robot with applications in Tesla's production factories, but also potentially in people's homes someday.
In typical fashion, Musk teased the development of Optimus with a tweet, writing that Tesla's "Autopilot/AI team" is working on the robotics project. This tweet, which hinted at an end-of-the-month deadline, garnered thousands of likes and hundreds of retweets. Moreover, Musk has been reported as stating that Optimus production could commence next year.
This represents a U-turn in Musk's sentiment toward robotics, it seems. It was only four years ago that he blamed reliance on factory robots for sending Tesla to "production hell" four years ago. At the time, Musk declared that humans were better than robots at certain jobs.
That's certainly true, but today the Tesla CEO is willing to give automatons a chance to prove their value and is even championing robotics as a future-facing technology. Last year's AI Day featured a dancer in a robot costume and Musk discussing autonomous-driving technology. Hopefully, this year's event will offer not only spectacles to attract press attention but also a deeper insight into Musk's vision for Optimus inside and outside of Tesla's giga-factories.
Optimus Robots Could Help to Address the Labor ShortageIt's no secret that in America and elsewhere, businesses are having trouble filling essential job positions. Automakers certainly are no exception, and Musk is priming Optimus to be a solution for Tesla's talent acquisition woes, while also proposing that robots could help solve problems faced by businesses throughout the economy.
At the very least, robots will be cheaper than humans - or at least, that's what Musk contends. Conceivably, using robots instead of human labor could lower the cost of a Tesla - any other car, or a variety of other products, for that matter - down 30% or even 50%.
This idea won't endear Musk to some human autoworkers, but it's not unimaginable that Tesla and other businesses could accrue cost savings through the use of robots, while also addressing America's acute labor shortage. Musk even posited that the deployment of robots such as Optimus could "turn the whole notion of what’s an economy on its head, at the point at which you have no shortage of labor."
The Tesla CEO continued, "Economy is GDP per capita. If you do not have a capital constraint, then the economy just can be arbitrarily huge." This line of reasoning might or might not stand up to the scrutiny of math-minded economists, but there's no denying that Musk's enthusiasm is infectious.
Plus, here's a bombshell: Musk proposed that Optimus "will be more valuable than the car in the long term." Imagine that: Tesla eventually evolving from an EV manufacturer to, primarily, a robot maker.
While you're at it, also try to imagine Optimus robots venturing outside of Tesla's factories, and making your dinner or mowing your lawn. Musk imagines that Optimus will someday do all of those things and more, including caring for elderly people or even becoming a "buddy" to someone needing a friend.
What is the Price Target of Tesla Stock?Turning to Wall Street, TSLA has a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on 19 Buys, six Holds, and five Sells assigned in the past three months. The average Tesla price target is $310.29, implying 1.2% upside potential.
Conclusion: Should You Consider Tesla Stock?If you're considering buying or even just holding Tesla stock, you'd better be on board with Musk's vision for the future of his company. It sounds like he's prepared to gradually but relentlessly morph Tesla into a robots-first, cars-second type of business.
Not everyone is on board with this - but then, Musk's conception of EVs on America's roadways probably sounded far-fetched 20 years ago. So, the billion-dollar question is: Are you ready to run with the robots and join a high-conviction but controversial revolution?
Musk changed the course of history once already, and there's a decent chance he might do it again with Optimus - and perhaps, the humans who invested early in Tesla stock can get rich while the robots do all of the work.