Story perspectives

Tesla's AI Chief Joins Meta Amid Production Shifts

9/20/2025

Summary

Story summary

Ashish Kumar, head of Tesla's Optimus AI, has joined Meta as a research scientist after over two years at Tesla.
He stated his departure was not financially motivated, as Tesla offered higher compensation.
Kumar described his time at Tesla as an "incredible ride," focusing on scalable AI for humanoid robots.
Tesla aims to increase Optimus production from a few hundred units in 2025 to 100,000 by 2026, despite current delays.
The company has shifted its AI strategy, discontinuing the Dojo supercomputer program for Nvidia and AMD chips.

History

Historical Context

Tesla's Autopilot feature, launched in 2016, represented a major leap in autonomous vehicle technology, backed by over $1 billion from investors like Daimler and Panasonic. The competitive landscape of AI development echoes the 1990s tech boom, as seen in Ashish Kumar's shift from Tesla to Meta. Tesla's evolving AI strategy, including the discontinuation of the Dojo program, highlights ongoing innovation challenges.

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Story summary

Ashish Kumar, head of Tesla's Optimus AI, has joined Meta as a research scientist after over two years at Tesla.
He stated his departure was not financially motivated, as Tesla offered higher compensation.
Kumar described his time at Tesla as an "incredible ride," focusing on scalable AI for humanoid robots.
Tesla aims to increase Optimus production from a few hundred units in 2025 to 100,000 by 2026, despite current delays.
The company has shifted its AI strategy, discontinuing the Dojo supercomputer program for Nvidia and AMD chips.

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