Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has generated global anticipation by announcing at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos that the humanoid robot Optimus will be available to the general public before the end of 2027.
This advancement, designed for household tasks, is presented as a tool to create “sustainable abundance” and eliminate world poverty, combined with the company’s autonomous driving technology. Tesla is already preparing production lines to manufacture up to one million units, though Musk warned that the start will be “atrociously slow” due to technological complexity.
The market plan for Optimus is tied to the 10-year compensation package approved by Tesla shareholders in November. Musk emphasized that the company is at an “inflection point” in integrating artificial intelligence into practical solutions. During a teleconference following the third-quarter 2025 financial results, where Tesla reported a 37% drop in net profits (1.373 million dollars), Musk insisted that Optimus could become “the most important product in history” and transform Tesla into a company of “practically unlimited value.”
He acknowledged challenges, such as creating robotic hands that match human dexterity, and his track record of not meeting timelines, but defended his approach: “For quality of life, it’s better to err on the side of optimism and be wrong, rather than err on the side of pessimism and be right.”
Optimus is conceived as a “humanoid friend” safe for homes with children, capable of integrating into family dynamics and freeing up time for owners. Its functionalities include receiving packages at the door, watering plants when the family is busy or absent, serving drinks during social gatherings, helping with kitchen cleaning, participating in board games, and coexisting with inhabitants.
Tesla has demonstrated these capabilities in presentations, positioning the robot as a versatile assistant for automating routine and everyday activities. The V3 version will be presented in the first quarter of 2026, with improvements in mobility, balance, and object manipulation. Musk described: “It will probably be ready. It’s going to be quite incredible. It won’t look like a robot, but like a person in a robot suit.”
Musk’s promises go beyond the domestic. He stated that Optimus, along with autonomous driving, will create “a world without poverty” by democratizing expensive services. He cited directly: “We believe that with Optimus and autonomous driving, we can actually create a world without poverty, where everyone has access to the best healthcare.”
He added that the robot could perform as an “incredible surgeon,” facilitating universal access to top-tier health and reducing operational costs to eliminate shortages. Tesla positions itself as “the world leader” in artificial intelligence applied to the physical environment, with Musk assuring: “No one can do what we can do in the real world.” This vision of “sustainable abundance” is based on robotic labor and autonomous vehicles, such as robotaxis in Austin, Texas, which operate with supervision but aim for total autonomy, similar to Waymo.
The context includes challenges for Tesla, such as a class-action lawsuit from shareholders over misleading information about autonomous driving.
Experts are divided: some see transformative potential, while others criticize the claims as optimistic without short-term technical or social backing. Musk avoided details about future car models in the conference, focusing on Optimus and autonomy. His historical reluctance to events like Davos highlights the importance of the announcement, which seeks to restructure the global economy in the next decade.
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