Elon Musk’s $500,000 Optimus Robot Flunks Test

The future may be here, but don’t expect much from it yet.

Musk has claimed Optimus would eventually account for “80% of Tesla’s value.” (Photo: Tesla Optimus X) 

The latest video of Tesla’s “Optimus” robot—touted as a pillar of the company’s future—shows the humanoid struggling to function for nearly a full minute, Stevie Bonifield reported for PC Gamer.

The clip, posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, shows him and Elon Musk speaking with a gold-painted Optimus robot.

Asked by Benioff where he could get a Coke, the robot hesitated before answering, “Sorry I don’t… have real-time info, but I can take you to the kitchen if you want to check for a Coke there.”

For several awkward seconds, the robot stood motionless, prompting Musk to say off-camera, “I think we need to give it a bit more… room.”

The robot eventually lurched forward with a plastic rattle and hobbled down an empty office aisle. Musk quickly added, “It’ll be able to walk a lot faster.”

Just a week earlier, he had claimed Optimus would eventually account for “80% of Tesla’s value.” Benioff, who dubbed the robot part of “Agentforce,” said in his tweet it would be “tackling human work for $200K–$500K. Productivity game-changer!”