FSD Internal Skepticism Surfaces Amid Safety Data Scrutiny

Tesla’s "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) software is facing renewed criticism from within its own historical ranks. Former self-driving engineers and data labelers reported that the system often struggles with detecting animals like cats, dogs, or deer, and occasionally fails to brake before impact CleanTechnica. These staffers claim that Tesla’s marketing of a "general" solution is undercut by the reality of labor-intensive training required for specific routes used in public demonstrations. Out of nine former data labelers interviewed, seven stated they would not trust the system to drive them CleanTechnica.

Further complicating the narrative, independent traffic safety researchers have questioned the validity of Tesla’s public safety statistics. Analysts found that Tesla may inflate its safety figures by comparing FSD airbag-deployment crashes against a federal database that includes much less severe incidents CleanTechnica. Ten out of eleven researchers reviewed by Reuters characterized Tesla’s methodology as more akin to marketing than genuine safety analysis CleanTechnica.

SpaceX IPO and the 'Terafab' Moonshot

Elon Musk is preparing for a landmark SpaceX IPO scheduled for next Friday, which could see the company go public at a valuation of $1.75 billion Business Insider. As part of the pre-IPO blitz, Musk will participate in a virtual fireside chat with ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet to discuss the "Terafab" concept—a joint venture between SpaceX, Tesla, and Intel aimed at building massive semiconductor factories Business Insider. This facility is intended to supply chips for up to a million orbital data centers, a core component of SpaceX's future revenue projections Business Insider.

Investor interest appears high, with sources indicating the IPO is currently two times oversubscribed Reuters. However, the aggressive scaling required for Terafab—aiming for a terawatt of AI compute annually—could lead to significant supply bottlenecks in the semiconductor market Business Insider. While some Wall Street experts suggest the stock could eventually reach a $5 trillion valuation, others warn that the IPO could be a risky bet for retail investors Yahoo Finance Yahoo Finance.

Market Watch: Friday Sell-Off Sinks TSLA

Tesla (TSLA) ended the week on a low note, closing Friday at $391.00, a drop of 6.56% MarketBeat. The decline was part of a broader "sprawling" of tech favorites following a hot jobs report and rising interest rates Reuters. While Amazon and Microsoft fared slightly better, the entire sector faced heavy selling pressure The Seattle Times.

Despite the stock volatility, Tesla continues to dominate international markets. In Australia, the Tesla Model Y made history by becoming the first electric vehicle to top the monthly sales charts Sky News Australia. Host Steve Price called the achievement a "historic moment" for the Australian automotive market Facebook.