Musk Says Tesla Targets Humanoid Robot Sales by Late 2027

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said the company could begin shipping its Optimus humanoid robots to outside businesses by the end of 2027, The Wall Street Journal reported. Speaking on the company’s third-quarter earnings call Wednesday, he presented robotics as another prospective business alongside its autonomous taxi service.

The timetable remains a target rather than confirmation that commercial deliveries are ready to begin. It points toward supplying other companies, not necessarily an immediate, broad rollout of robots for household buyers.

Tesla’s quarterly update provides a manufacturing milestone behind that ambition. The company said Optimus production had begun in Fremont and described the machines emerging from the line as its first production-quality robots, while noting that hardware and manufacturing processes would continue to evolve.

Its capacity table lists California robotics operations in an early ramp-up phase and a Texas Optimus facility under construction. Those descriptions distinguish the start of manufacturing from sustained output: Tesla cautions that installed capacity does not equal actual production and that equipment, components and other constraints can affect the pace.

Tesla describes Optimus on its robotics website as a general-purpose, two-legged autonomous machine intended to handle work that is unsafe, repetitive or tedious. That is a development objective, rather than evidence that the robot can already perform every task a prospective customer might require.

The company identifies balance, navigation, perception and physical interaction as essential software challenges. Its robotics effort therefore involves more than producing a human-shaped machine; the stated goal requires hardware and software to work together reliably in real-world environments.

The commercial stakes extend beyond adding another manufactured product. Selling robots would give Tesla a business distinct from passenger vehicles, while drawing on the company’s broader work in autonomy, computing and software. Whether that becomes a meaningful source of earnings will depend on deployment and customer adoption, not simply the start of production.

The financial backdrop underscores why new businesses matter. Tesla reported quarterly revenue of about $28 billion, roughly unchanged from a year earlier, while operating income fell 56% to $718 million. Automotive revenue declined 3%, leaving its established vehicle business central to current results even as management promotes newer opportunities.

Tesla’s outlook anticipates a growing contribution from software and fleet-based activities alongside hardware profits. Those expectations remain forward-looking, and a manufacturing milestone alone does not establish the eventual revenue or profitability of Optimus. For prospective customers, the practical question is what work the machines can perform consistently.

The next milestones are a steadier production ramp and clearer evidence of commercial readiness before the proposed late-2027 deliveries. Tesla says demand, supply-chain readiness and allocation decisions can influence deliveries and deployments. Musk’s target now gives investors and potential buyers a timetable against which to assess that progress.