Author: Gail Alfar

Gail has a bachelor of art in film/radio/tv and a bachelor of science in nursing She has worked for years caring for all ages of people with many diagnoses in over 5 hospitals and schools around the texas hill country Originally from north dakota, she is now based in austin and writes about sustainable energy for the website she created ‘What’s up Tesla’ and 'What's up Twitter' and maintains her nursing practice

Elon Musk: Surprise Remote Talk at 2026 Abundance Summit – My Full Verbatim Transcript

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On March 11, 2026, Elon surprised us all with an appearance at the 2026 Abundance Summit in Los Angeles. In this talk with Peter Diamandis, Elon shared his latest thoughts on Grok 4.20, the hard takeoff of AI, Optimus robot timelines, explosive economic growth, and humanity’s path to universal high income and post-scarcity abundance. Here is my full transcript with Key Takeaways at the end!

Peter Diamandis: So, first off, congratulations on the merger of SpaceX and xAI — bold move going to power humanity’s first Dyson swarm. I’m curious: what’s your timeline for launching these data centers and how much bandwidth do you think you can get in the first year? Give us a sense of the speed at which you’re going to be making this happen.

Elon Musk: Yeah, so SpaceX is in the quiet period. I can’t actually tell you things. That would cause problems.

Peter Diamandis: I appreciate that. And I can’t wait to see the speed. You know, we had a conversation here on Monday with Eric Schmidt and with one of the leads from one of the other hyperscalers. I won’t mention who, but I’m curious where you feel we are in recursive self-improvement. Are we there? Do you see Grok doing recursive self-improvement at this point? And what’s the timeline for AGI and ASI?

Elon Musk: Yeah, I think we’ve been in recursive improvement for a while here. If you mean recursive self-improvement without a human in the loop, is that what you mean?

Peter Diamandis: I do. I am on the AI software side.

Elon Musk: I mean humans are gradually getting less and less in the loop on the recursive self-improvement. So you know every successive model is built by the one before it. So that is happening to a large degree but it’s not yet fully automated. It may be there at the end of this year but not later than next year.

Peter Diamandis: And do you see a hard takeoff at that point?

Elon Musk: We’re in the hard takeoff. Right now.

Peter Diamandis: Okay. Yes.

Elon Musk: I mean, at this point I go to sleep there’s some massive AI breakthrough and when I wake up there’s another one.

Peter Diamandis: Yes. Yeah. It’s hard to keep track, honestly. So, it’s a bit of a head spinner. Yeah. Well, I think a lot of the head spinning is happening from you, too.

Elon Musk: Yeah. Well, you know, Grok’s doing pretty well, and in some metrics, by some metrics, it’s the best, for example, it’s the best at predicting things, which, you know, is arguably the best metric for intelligence. The new Grok 4.20 is really good. We’re currently behind on coding. The reason I was a bit late for this was that I was just in a giant sort of all-hands on coding just going through all of the things that need to happen to essentially catch up and exceed our competitors on coding. Which I think we’ll do. I feel we should probably get there by the middle of this year.

I think people don’t quite understand just how much intelligence there will be or you know, just how far it will exceed human intelligence to a degree that is impossible to fully understand.

You can certainly imagine a situation where, let’s say, if let’s say, a million times more energy is harnessed than all of Earth’s current electricity usage, that would still only be roughly a millionth of the sun’s energy output.

So essentially if you increase Earth’s economy by a factor of a million it’s still roughly a trillion. Since we’re a trillionth of the sun’s energy, if you increase Earth’s economy in terms of electricity usage by roughly a million, you will be roughly 1 millionth only of the sun’s energy harnessed.

But what is it? What is an economy or an intelligence using a million times more electricity than all of our civilization. What does it think about or look like or do? It’s going to be something pretty magnificent. The challenge will be even vaguely appreciating that level of intelligence. But it’s safe to say it will solve everything you can possibly think of. Longevity being, surely, one of them!

Peter Diamandis: And, I do enjoy your unrelenting optimism. Haha, you’ve taken it to heart, monetizing hope, which is pretty funny, how you came up with that one!

Elon Musk: It was Grok’s marketing advice to me when you roasted me on the podcast. Haha, Grok was roasting you and saying you should monetize hope! But hey, it is better than monetizing misery, I suppose!

Elon Musk (continuing): AI and robots increase the economic output by so many orders of magnitude, that we cannot possibly comprehend it.

Peter Diamandis: We’re likely in a very short time to become a microscopic minority of intelligence on this planet.

Elon Musk: Yes, not even on this planet, in the solar system. Because you know your best case outcome for Earth for intelligence is roughly 1 billionth of the sun’s energy. That’s your best case outcome, if you generate intelligence only on Earth.

Peter Diamandis: Intercept it, right?

Elon Musk: Yes. Because roughly one half a billionth of the sun’s energy hits Earth and that’s the vast majority of energy that’s out there that we can access. So really the intelligence in the solar system will be many orders of magnitude greater than the intelligence on earth itself.

Peter Diamandis: Can I ask you a question, Elon? How far out can you see? How many years out can you make reasonable predictions?

Elon Musk: It’s hard to predict the path exactly, especially because often things are kind of an S-curve or a series of S-curves where it starts off slow, grows exponentially, hits a linear zone, and then goes logarithmic. That generally has been what I’ve seen with the breakthroughs in AI.

AI, for example… you’ll have some breakthrough. It’ll do an S-curve, and then it looks like it’s just going to go to infinity, but then you hit logarithmic returns until there’s another breakthrough. So progress in AI is just a sort of series of, you know, sort of overlapping S-curves or connected S-curves.

Peter Diamandis: I mean there was a point where you could probably predict out a decade or two decades. What are your thoughts now?

Elon Musk: Yeah. Okay. This is going to sound pretty crazy.

Peter Diamandis: It’s okay. We’ve been talking crazy all week…

Elon Musk: I’m not sure you are a receptive audience to wild prognostications.

Peter Diamandis: Yes.

Elon Musk: Um… (very long pause) I’d say the economy is 10 times the current size in 10 years. Greater than… that’s really saying something.

Peter Diamandis: Okay. Yeah, you had said, triple-digit growth in five plus years from now on, GDP and 10x the economy.

Elon Musk: I feel like that’s a 10x in roughly 10 years. I feel that’s actually a fairly comfortable prediction — obviously if there’s like World War III or something, that could put a kink in those plans. But in the absence of World War III, if current trends continue, I would say the economy will grow 10x in 10 years. And we’ll have a base on the moon! And we’ll have people on Mars.

Peter Diamandis: And we’ll have mass drivers on the moon!

Elon Musk: I think so, I think we’ll have mass drivers on the moon in 10 years.

Peter Diamandis: I love it, Gerard K. O’Neill’s vision being fulfilled. We had four robots on stage here this year at the Abundance Summit. I look forward to Optimus. I’m curious about the Optimus 3 timeline, in particular, when can I buy one or two? When do you expect it to go into commercial sale, or will you be leasing it?

Elon Musk: Well, we’re in the final stages of completion of Optimus 3, which is really going to be by far the most advanced robot in the world. Nothing’s even close. In fact, I haven’t even seen any demos of robots that are as good as Optimus 3, frankly. Maybe they’re out there or secret or something, I don’t know. And I have to make sure I’m saying things that are reasonably public, of course, but we’re streaming this on X, so this is pretty public and accurate. Yeah. I think we’ll start production on Optimus 3 this summer, but very slow at first, like the classic S-curve ramp of manufacturing units versus time. Then probably reach high-volume production around summer next year. And then we’ll have Optimus 4 design next year. I try to release a new improved robot design every year.

Peter Diamandis: When Dave Blundin and I were at the Gigafactory, it was an extraordinary experience! 11.5 million square feet for Tesla, and then I think you said you’re building out 9.5 million square feet for Optimus there as well, which is extraordinary.

Elon Musk: Let’s call it 10 million square feet, round numbers. Yeah, that’ll be quite a new factory design too. Like, it is different from other factories.

Peter Diamandis: How far before we have robots building robots? You’ve automated so much of the Gigafactory already, where humans are playing a smaller role. Will the robots just take over the roles humans have now?

Elon Musk: We still have a lot of humans building things. Um, you know, Tesla direct employees who are building things uh, or like basically people in the factory are either building or managing people who are building, is roughly 100,000. So we have a lot of people. Tesla’s total headcount is around 150k, of which 2/3s are, you know, in the factory in one form or another. And then our suppliers, there’s probably maybe a million or two million people in our suppliers type of thing. So it’s a lot of people. Um, what we do expect is that the output per person at Tesla becomes very very high. So we’re not planning any layoffs or reductions in personnel. In fact, we will increase our headcount. But the output per human at Tesla is going to get nutty high. Like, you can’t even believe it.

Peter Diamandis: When we were together, we discussed sustainable abundance on our podcast, and you reinforced the idea of a coming age of universal high income, which has become a point of discussion beyond UBI. I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on how we get there. And more importantly, we talked about a timeframe of civil unrest, like maybe 2, 3, 4, or 5 years, with probably a lot of COVID-like checks in the interim until we reach demonetization and deflation that leads to UHI. Any more reflections on that? People really need that hope and vision.

Elon Musk: Yeah, to be clear, I don’t think we should be complacent. We do need to be careful because the future has a range of possible outcomes, and not all are great. But at this point I agree with you: it’s likely to be great. Probably 80% likely, maybe more. And I do think we’ll have universal high income. We’re basically just going to issue money to people because the output of goods and services will so far exceed the money supply that you’ll have deflation — deflation is simply the ratio of goods/services output to money supply. If growth of goods and services far outpaces money supply growth, which I predict it will, then deflation happens.

Yes. A lot of people will spin up new companies, compete fiercely, drive prices down, and accelerate deflation faster and faster.

Basically, AI and robots will make so much stuff and provide so many services that they’ll run out of things to do for humans. There’s only so much humans can even express wanting. Go back to my example: at a million times the Earth’s current economy, you’ve long since saturated all human desire. Even at a thousand times, you probably already saturate anything people can think of wanting.

Peter Diamandis: Yeah.

Elon Musk: So do you think the value of money significantly decreases? Will we go post-capitalist? Yeah, I think money stops being relevant at some point. It’s probably something like a Star Trek culture future. And AI down the road won’t use human currency, it’ll just care about power, mass, wattage, and tonnage. Yeah…

Key Takeaways

AI & Intelligence Explosion

  • We’re already in the “hard takeoff” — breakthroughs are happening overnight while we sleep.
  • Recursive self-improvement is well underway (humans stepping back gradually); full automation of the AI loop expected by end of 2026 or no later than 2027.
  • Grok 4.20 already leads in prediction (a top intelligence metric), coding catching up fast — expect it to surpass competitors by mid-2026.
  • Future intelligence will be orders of magnitude beyond humans, potentially using a million times more energy than today’s civilization… but still just a tiny fraction of the sun’s output.

Economy & Abundance

  • 10× economic growth in the next 10 years (to ~2036), with triple-digit GDP growth possible in 5+ years (assuming no WW3).
  • AI + robots will drive deflation so extreme we get Universal High Income (UHI) as an interim step.
  • Eventually a Star Trek-style post-scarcity world where money becomes irrelevant — robots/AI produce far more than humans can consume, saturating all desires. “Basically, AI and robots will make so much stuff… they’ll run out of things to do for humans.”

Robotics & Tesla

  • Optimus 3 is in final stages (most advanced robot on the planet right now). Production starts summer 2026 (slow ramp), high-volume by summer 2027. Optimus 4 design coming next year with yearly upgrades.
  • New 10-million-square-foot factory just for Optimus. Huge productivity boost per person — no mass layoffs expected (Tesla headcount ~150k + suppliers).

Space & Long-Term Vision

  • SpaceX + xAI merger path toward humanity’s first Dyson swarm (details limited by quiet period).
  • Moon base + people on Mars in ~10 years; mass drivers on the Moon too.
  • Overall intelligence will scale to solar-system level, solving everything from longevity to energy limits. 80%+ chance of a truly great future.

Elon’s standout quotes we noted

  • “We’re in the hard takeoff. Right now.”
  • “The economy is 10 times the current size in 10 years.”
  • “AI and robots increase the economic output by so many orders of magnitude that we cannot possibly comprehend it.”

My Take

Other AI companies are motivated by profit, but this is not Elon’s ambition. He’s already the wealthiest man on Earth — no one comes close. But also, no one comes close to putting into action the very things that will preserve consciousness.

Watch Elon Musk appearance at the 2026 Abundance Summit in Los Angeles on X by Steven Mark Ryan.

On March 11, 2026, Elon surprised us all with an appearance at the 2026 Abundance Summit in Los Angeles. In this talk with Peter Diamandis, Elon shared his latest thoughts on Grok 4.20, the hard takeoff of AI, Optimus robot timelines, explosive economic growth, and humanity’s path to universal high income and post-scarcity abundance.

Watch Elon Musk appearance at the 2026 Abundance Summit in Los Angeles on Youtube

Elon Musk’s Macrohard: AI Agents That Could Take Over Repetitive Office Work Worldwide

Elon Musk’s Macrohard: AI That Will Handle Your Desk Job Affordably in Real Time

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Tesla and xAI team up on a project that watches screens, clicks mice, and thinks smart and will potentially take over repetitive office tasks without fancy servers.

Elon Musk posted early this morning (March 11, 2026) that Macrohard, also called Digital Optimus, is now a joint xAI-Tesla project, tied to Tesla’s investment in xAI.

In his own words on X:

“Macrohard or Digital Optimus is a joint xAI-Tesla project, coming as part of Tesla’s investment agreement with xAI.

Grok is the master conductor/navigator with deep understanding of the world to direct digital Optimus, which is processing and actioning the past 5 secs of real-time computer screen video and keyboard/mouse actions. Grok is like a much more advanced and sophisticated version of turn-by-turn navigation software.

You can think of it as Digital Optimus AI being System 1 (instinctive part of the mind) and Grok being System 2. (thinking part of the mind).

This will run very competitively on the super low cost Tesla AI4 ($650) paired with relatively frugal use of the much more expensive xAI Nvidia hardware. And it will be the only real-time smart AI system. This is a big deal.

In principle, it is capable of emulating the function of entire companies. That is why the program is called MACROHARD, a funny reference to Microsoft. No other company can yet do this.”

In non-tech speak: Elon basically said, “We’re building AI employees that can sit at a computer, look at the screen, use the mouse/keyboard, think smart, and handle big chunks of white-collar work—and we can do it affordably on hardware that’s already being mass-produced for cars.”

It’s not out yet for everyone to buy or use. This is fresh news today, and it is the next step in his vision where AI takes over boring/repetitive desk jobs so people can focus on more creative or human stuff.

What This Means for Customer Service, HR, or Any Desk Job

Picture this: You’re in customer support. A ticket comes in. It is the same question as yesterday. Instead of typing the same replies over and over, an AI watches the screen, pulls up the customer’s info, fills out forms, sends standard responses, escalates only when needed, and logs everything. All in real time, like a coworker who’s always alert.

Or in HR: Screening resumes, scheduling interviews, updating records, validating job eligibility, processing time off. These are tasks that eat hours and could get handled automatically, freeing you for the people parts like coaching employees or handling sensitive talks.

The “hands” (Digital Optimus) watch the last 5 seconds of your screen video and your clicks/typing, then act fast on simple steps. Grok (the brain) understands the bigger picture, like company rules, customer history, or what “urgent” really means. Grok guides every move.

It runs on cheap Tesla hardware ($650 AI4 module, the same tech in cars for self-driving) plus a bit of cloud power from xAI. No giant expensive servers required for each user. That’s why Elon says it’s a big deal, it is why he says no one else does real-time screen AI this cheaply.

Does It Use Cameras?

Yes, the system processes “real-time computer screen video,” meaning it captures whatever is displayed on your monitor (like a screenshot stream every few moments). It doesn’t need an extra physical webcam pointed at you or the room; it works purely from the digital screen output, keyboard inputs, and mouse movements. No face-scanning or office surveillance. Just watching the computer itself to understand and act on what’s happening.

More Growth Ahead

This could quietly become huge for offices everywhere. Repetitive tasks in support, admin, data entry, or reporting get automated, boosting productivity without layoffs. This will give more time for meaningful work.

With Tesla building the hardware in Austin at Giga Texas and xAI pushing the smarts, expect demos and rollouts to pick up speed. For folks in customer service or HR, this might soon feel like having an extra team member who’s never late and doesn’t need breaks.

Gail’s TESLA Podcast Ep. 162: Robotaxi We Love You! 8-Segment Rides in Texas + mini Cybertruck spot in SF

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My heart is full after putting together Episode 162 — officially titled “Robotaxi We Love You!”

This one is a celebration of real, unsupervised Robotaxi rides happening right now in Texas. I’ve pulled together 10 minutes of pure Robotaxi magic captured from June 2025 all the way to the present, smooth, confident, life-changing autonomy that just keeps getting better. No driver, no interventions, just Tesla delivering freedom and joy ride after ride.

Here’s the breakdown of the 8 segments so you can jump to your favorites (video is linked in the X post below!):

  • 0:00 – Part 1: Intro where I explain the journey — 10 minutes of Robotaxi footage spanning from June 2025 to now, showing how far we’ve come with unsupervised rides!
  • 2:09 – Part 2: Riding with the amazing LilHumanBigImpact in a Robotaxi, then heading over to Giga Texas to soak in the majestic sight of those three flags waving proudly: Tesla, Texas, and USA! 🇺🇸🤖
  • 2:36 – Part 3: Two Robotaxis rolling together — plus one brilliantly avoiding a bird mid-flight. Talk about awareness and grace! 🐦
  • 5:10 – Part 4: Sweet moment with Captain Eli taking his very first Robotaxi ride — the excitement on his face says it all!
  • 6:10 – Part 5: Owen Sparks having fun pretending to “steal” a purse from the trunk of a Robotaxi — hilarious and totally wholesome Tesla kid energy!
  • 7:32 – Part 6: Back with LilHumanBigImpact, this time she’s ordering a Robotaxi herself — watching the next generation take control of the future is everything!
  • 9:02 – Part 7: A gorgeous, very very old BMW 2002 rolls by — I adore classic cars like this one too, what a beautiful contrast to the cutting-edge Robotaxis around it!
  • 9:25 – Part 8: Cybertruck nailing parallel parking in Austin, then cruising in San Francisco while we spot the vibrant flower market — that little mini Cybertruck sighting made my day! 🌸🚜

Watch the full episode here (or tap the X post for the video):

These clips aren’t just rides; they’re glimpses of the abundance future Elon and the Tesla team are building every single day. From family adventures to everyday magic, Robotaxi is already here making life easier, safer, and way more fun.

Tesla Megapack in Cernay-lès-Reims site developed by TagEnergy. Image Courtesy Tesla, Inc.

Elon Musk’s Quiet Gift to the Soul of France

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In the rolling vineyards of Cernay-lès-Reims, where the ancient soil has nourished Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier for centuries, a new kind of guardian has arrived.

France’s largest battery storage system: 240 megawatts of power and 480 megawatt-hours of capacity… is coming online, not through government decree or taxpayer largesse, but through the visionary engineering of Tesla and the private partnership with TagEnergy.

As the company posted on X:

"Megapack + Autobidder will soon be online in the east of France!
The 240 MW / 480 MWh Cernay-lès-Reims site is being developed by TagEnergy and will be one of the largest batteries in France.
Tesla is providing full scope Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) and the site will be operated using Tesla's Autobidder trading platform."

This is more than infrastructure. It is philanthropy in its purest modern form. Elon Musk’s technology offered freely to humanity, stabilizing the grid with intelligence rather than ideology.

The Megapacks charge from France’s own decarbonized abundance: steady nuclear power at night, wind from the north and Grand Est, solar from the south. Carefully monitored and maintained Tesla Megapacks store surplus power cleanly, release it precisely when needed, and protect the delicate alchemy of Champagne’s cellars and fermentations from the slightest interruption.

French wine and cheese have long stood as unmatched treasures of Western civilization with velvety Bordeaux, bold Roquefort, creamy Camembert, and crystalline Chablis. These precious treasures are imitated worldwide yet never equaled.

Tesla Autobidder

Now Tesla’s Autobidder AI platform stands as their silent sentinel, ensuring that this irreplaceable heritage endures through the uncertainties of a changing climate.

In an age of grand promises, Elon continues to deliver quietly a transformative reality.

The Cernay-lès-Reims project is not merely a battery. It is a gift: proof that bold private innovation can safeguard both the planet and the most elegant expressions of human culture.

France, and the world, are richer for it.

Read Article on X for the best experience! (Please subscribe to @GailAlfarATX for $2 to support and see all articles on X.

Vehicles charging at a Tesla Supercharger in Bergerac, France. Image Courtesy Tesla, Inc.

France Shows Excellent Taste: Tesla Model Y Leads All-Electric Sales

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French drivers showed their excellent taste in February 2026, and the numbers are pure joy for everyone who loves the future of driving!

The official Plateforme Automobile (PFA) report released on March 1 tells the happy story. Out of 120,764 new passenger vehicles registered last month, 32,370 were all-electric. That’s more than one in every four new vehicles (26.8%). This represents a wonderful 27.8% growth compared to February 2025!

Combustion-engine vehicles managed only 18,115 registrations, just 15% of the market, and dropped a tough 48% year-over-year. All-electric vehicles outsold gasoline vehicles by nearly 80%. What a fantastic shift!

Tesla was right at the heart of the celebration, registering 3,715 all-electric vehicles in France — a strong 55.11% increase from last year. The Tesla Model Y stole the show with 3,034 units sold in February alone. Through the first two months of 2026, the Model Y has already delivered 3,647 units and earned the No. 17 spot on France’s Top 100 best-selling passenger vehicles.

This great news is made even better by Tesla’s extensive Supercharger network in France. With over 3,400 stalls open to all-electric vehicles, not just Teslas, drivers of every brand can enjoy fast, reliable charging. Tesla Charging is helping the entire all-electric movement grow stronger every day!

Vehicles charging at a Tesla Supercharger in Bergerac, France. Image Courtesy Tesla, Inc.
Vehicles charging at a Tesla Supercharger in Bergerac, France. Image Courtesy Tesla, Inc.

Starlink Changes Everything for Isolated French Villages – Real Speeds from 8 Mbps to 346 Mbps

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Daily Life Stuck in the Slow Lane

The TF1 20H news team led by Guillaume Bertrand, Stefan Iorgulescu and Guillaume Frixon first showed how the picturesque but remote village of Chomelix in France’s Haute-Loire department had been fighting with very poor internet for years. This small commune of around 480 inhabitants, including several hamlets classified as digital white zones, struggled daily with connections too weak for effective telework, children’s online education, or even routine administrative procedures.

Resident Romain dealt with these frustrations for nearly ten years. “Before, I was stuck at 8 megas,” he said. Mayor Roselyne Beyssac saw the real toll this was taking on families and local businesses trying to stay competitive.

Starlink’s Mobile Kits Deliver Instant Transformation

Starlink’s new mobile and portable satellite kits completely turned the situation around. These compact, backpack-friendly systems paired with flexible roaming plans now deliver fast, reliable internet almost anywhere in France’s rural areas.

The results have been outstanding. Romain’s download speeds jumped all the way to 346 Mbps. Video calls became seamless, streaming works perfectly, and online government services run without issues. Local hotels and other small businesses can finally manage bookings and communications reliably. The independent TF1 coverage beautifully documented how this technology has significantly reduced the sense of isolation in the area.

This kind of story is exactly why Starlink is the number one humanitarian service across the planet, it reaches people and places that traditional networks have long ignored.

The innovation keeps gaining global attention. Starlink is currently making headlines at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where even a flower company called KDDI has put up a booth proudly saying they use Starlink, as first reported by SE Robinson on X.

Elon Musk, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your extraordinary vision and determination with Starlink are bringing genuine hope, opportunity, and modern connectivity to the most remote corners of the world. Rural France is just one of many places being transformed thanks to you.

Sources:

  1. TF1 20H Reportage by Guillaume Bertrand, Stefan Iorgulescu and Guillaume Frixon, February 2025
  2. TF1 Info – “J’étais à 8 mégas, j’en suis à 346”, 27 November 2025
  3. S.E. Robinson (@SERobinsonJr) on X
Gail Alfar provides a Transcript of exclusive 23-minute interview with Giga Berlin plant manager André Thierig, and Elon Musk

Full Transcript: Elon Musk on Moon Factories, TSLA Hold, Cybercab/Optimus at Giga Berlin

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In this exclusive 23-minute interview with Giga Berlin plant manager André Thierig, Elon Musk reveals Tesla’s plans, including Cybercab & Optimus production in Europe, Full Self-Driving launching in the Netherlands on March 20, and his bold prediction of “Tesla factories on the moon” and the now-viral line: “Hold on to your TSLA stock… it’s going to be worth a lot!”

André Thierig: Welcome, Elon, and thanks for taking the time. I really understand that time is precious. There are a ton of things to do to build a world of amazing abundance. I can hardly imagine what is on your mind — SpaceX, Starlink, AI, safe AI for the future, autopilot, so many things. But what is in your view still exciting about Tesla and why?

Elon Musk in the lobby at Tesla Giga Texas, February, 2026
Elon Musk in the lobby at Tesla Giga Texas, February, 2026

Elon Musk: Well, I think Tesla is one of the most exciting companies in the world. It is perhaps the most exciting, but Tesla and SpaceX are the two most exciting companies. We are obviously expanding production and making more cars. We are going to roll out Tesla Full Self-Driving, which is really an AI-driven car. It’s AI software that drives the car, just by looking, like a human does. Tesla has the most advanced real-world AI and hopefully it will be approved soon in Europe. We were told by the authorities that it will be approved on March 20th in the Netherlands. I think people in Europe are going to be pretty blown away by how good the Tesla car AI is. This year it will be the case that from a technical standpoint you will be able to fall asleep in the Tesla and wake up at your destination. That is very exciting.

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We have the Optimus program, which is going to be the first humanoid robot. Sometimes people ask what it would be used for. Who would not want their own personal C-3PO or R2-D2? Optimus can take care of your kids, walk the dog, or take care of elderly parents. Well, Optimus can do those things. That is very exciting. We have started production of the Tesla Cybercab here at Giga Texas and we will go to volume production in April.

If things go well, we would probably manufacture Cybercab in Europe and also manufacture Optimus in Europe. We have the Tesla Semi heavy truck that will be coming to Europe hopefully next year. There are so many things happening, it’s a long list!

Oh, and battery cell production… we are going to start making battery cells at Giga Berlin. We have the Tesla lithium refinery that started up in Texas and the Tesla nickel cathode refinery that started up in Austin. This year, there are a tremendous number of things happening. We have five factories starting volume production this year, five major production lines. We look forward to extending that to Europe as well.

Tesla’s Vision for the Next 10–20 Years: Factories on the Moon!

André Thierig: Tesla has done nothing less than really transforming a whole industry. Without Tesla taking that brave step to electrify mobility, the industry would not be where it is today. What would you want people to say about Tesla in 10 or 20 years from now?

Elon Musk: In 20 years, I would say Tesla has factories on the moon, actually!. I see a very prosperous future for Tesla. It is difficult to predict anything in 20 years, but if you look 5 to 10 years ahead, Tesla has an extremely bright future. I would say, hold on to your Tesla stock, it is going to be worth a lot, I think, that’s my bet!

André Thierig: Coming back to the present, you are always very well informed. If you look at the European industry, especially the automotive sector or even the German industry, what do you think about it? What do you believe are the main reasons for their current state?

Elon Musk on the European Automotive Industry

Elon Musk: I think there has not been enough innovation. Automotive innovation has been relatively low, the cars being produced are very much like the cars produced five years ago. There are not big differences. For 20-plus years I have said the automotive industry needs to go toward electrification. This would be true even without environmental concerns. An electric vehicle is a fundamentally better architecture than a gasoline combustion vehicle. It is much simpler, more efficient, quieter, and there is no pollution within cities. All ground transport should be electric. And I think all ships and airplanes should be electric.

The automotive industry has strongly resisted electrification and dragged its feet, and they have had to be pushed there by government. Whenever they have had the opportunity to reduce making electric vehicles, they’ve done so. This is not a good strategy. It doesn’t make sense.

Making vehicles autonomous is critical. I think about 10 years ago I said that in the future, any vehicle that is not electric and autonomous… like if you are riding in a vehicle that you have to drive yourself and it’s gasoline powered, it will be like riding a horse and using a flip phone. Which is to say that there are still some people that ride horses. It’s just rare. And some people somewhere are still using flip phones, but there aren’t many, and it’s going to be a niche thing. So, the future does not contain combustion vehicles, and there will be very few vehicles that are not autonomous. The future is autonomous electric vehicles. And so, if the automotive industry does not move in that direction, they will be left out.

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André Thierig: So it doesn’t really sound like we could be learning much from legacy auto makers…and I guess we really should be focusing on what ourselves, or what we believe the future looks like, right?

Elon Musk: Yes, well, you can always learn something from some competitor. But strategically, they are just headed in the direction of the dinosaurs. So they are not headed to a good place. You know, dinosaurs are not around anymore. We’re certainly going down a different path. Like I said, electric and autonomous… to me it’s been blindingly obvious for 20-plus years. What I found with competitors in the automotive industry is, it’s not that they are going to steal our ideas. You can’t cram a good idea down their throat. Like if you say, “you must take this good idea!” They won’t steal our ideas, because you cannot even force-feed them our good ideas. That’s my experience. So we need to do what’s logical, what’s sensible. You know, at Tesla we’re essentially creating the future. And it’s a good future!

André Thierig: We are building the future, they just build cars!

Elon Musk: Yes. It’s a good future, it’s a future with electric vehicles that don’t emit poison gas, literally. They’re quiet, efficient, and autonomous. Like I said, instead of being stuck in traffic driving through busy roads, people sometimes fall asleep or have a medical emergency. And if you’re driving yourself on the Autobahn going super fast and you have a seizure, heart attack, or something like that, then you could die. But if the car is autonomous, it can take you to a hospital. In fact, this has actually happened many times with Tesla cars.

Giga Berlin Memories and the Path to Massive Expansion

André Thierig: Six years ago we broke ground and four years ago we started production. What are your greatest memories of Giga Berlin and the people here?

Elon Musk: First of all, I would like to say thank you very much to everyone who helped build Giga Berlin. Thank you, André, and thank you to the whole team. We have built an amazing factory in a very short period of time and reached high-volume production with good quality and good cost control. I am very proud of Giga Berlin and all the people in it.

It’s cool! I like the art too, and that people have some fun!

Graffiti Art at Tesla Giga Berlin

Elon Musk: Coming to work should be something you look forward to. You come to work with people you enjoy working with, and you are doing useful things—you’re making things. I have a lot of respect for makers. Like, you actually make something; you build something useful that people enjoy. I’m a big fan of makers. There are a lot of people who—they do not make things, and I don’t know—they don’t make things or they don’t provide useful services. Whereas, I have huge respect for people who make things and provide useful services. It’s an honest day’s work.

André Thierig: If you have a vision for Giga Berlin, what would it be? And what would have to happen for it to come true?

Elon Musk: Ideally, we would significantly expand production at Giga Berlin. We would do high-volume production of battery cells, probably also the cathode, the anode, and lithium. We would become vertically integrated and produce things like the Cybercab or Optimus and other products that Tesla will develop. The exciting vision for the future of Giga Berlin is massively expanding it to do many more projects.

André Thierig: Do you have any advice for the team at Giga Berlin to work toward that vision?

Elon Musk: Things certainly get harder if there are outside organizations pushing Tesla in the wrong direction. If outside organizations make things very difficult in Giga Berlin, it is difficult to say that we would expand. We are not going to shut down the factory, but we are not going to expand it either, realistically.

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Employee Q&A and Closing Advice

Employee: Which is your favorite factory?

Elon Musk: A favorite factory is like saying what is your favorite child. I love factories. I think a lot of people these days, they don’t love factories, or they haven’t been to a factory, whereas I walk the line in every factory and I’m a big fan of factories. I love them! Haha!

André Thierig: It’s a great place to be!

Elon Musk: Yeah. It’s where you make things that have good utility; people love the product. You’re building a product people love, and that’s great!

Giga Berlin is an awesome factory. The vibe is cool; to walk around is cool. It’s very clean and quite beautiful inside and outside. People seem quite happy. We are making cars and soon battery cells and hopefully many more things. It is one of the coolest factories in the world, really!

Employee: Which is the next product we will be building here in Giga Berlin?

Elon Musk: There are a lot of exciting possibilities. We have started spooling up production of the battery cell and we will be expanding production of the Model Y, especially as we get approval for supervised full self-driving. From the next major product standpoint, most likely the Tesla Cybercab. There are also possibilities of Tesla Optimus and the Tesla Semi heavy truck. Like, Tesla has a lot of products coming out, so there’s a lot of potential.

If things go well, we would expand Giga Berlin to whatever the most that we could. Assuming that the authorities are supportive, and the people are supportive, then we would expand to probably make it the biggest factory complex in Europe.

Employee: When do you realistically think we can have Optimus in the Gigafactories so we do not have to worry about ergonomics?

Elon Musk: Well, we have to be really careful about that one. I don’t want people to be worried about their jobs, you know. So, the honest answer for AI and robotics is: long-term, working will be optional. Long-term—which is 10 years from now or less—if you want to work, you can. It will be like growing vegetables in your garden, or you can get them from the store. It’s optional to grow vegetables in your garden, but some people still like to do it. It’s extra work to grow your own vegetables, but people enjoy the process. That’s going to be how work is in the future. It will be like: “You can work if you want to.”

Employee: How can we make sure that the adoption of new technologies like Optimus reach countries in the third world?

Elon Musk: First we have to succeed in making a useful robot. This is a hard thing to solve. Nobody has solved making a truly useful humanoid robot. So you have to make it useful, then you have to scale production. And its an entirely new supply chain. With Optimus we’ve had to design the whole robot from physics first principles. We’re designing every motor, every gear. The hands are extremely difficult to design. A properly dexterous robot hand is very difficult. One of the hardest things to engineer, and then we can scale production. At first Optimus will do small tasks, and then it will get gradually more sophisticated.

I think, eventually, Optimus could do medical work like surgery and everyone in the world would get better medical care than anyone receives today, from a human.

André Thierig: What advice would you give young people for life?

Elon Musk: Be on the side of optimism. It is better to be optimistic and wrong than pessimistic and right. Your quality of life will be much better. I would urge people to be excited about the future. I am excited about the future! I am confident the future will not be boring. Let me put it that way: it’s going to be very interesting. I think it is most likely to be great!

In terms of general advice, I guess I’d invite people to learn as much as possible, read a lot of books, try a lot of things, and find a job you can enjoy. I guess—enjoy life, but working is also a part of enjoying life. I think if people derive satisfaction from building things, then Tesla is an awesome place to be because we build things! We make useful products, and that’s a great thing.

André Thierig: What is the most inspiring moment in your life?

Elon Musk: You know, I guess when my kids were born, that would be the most inspiring moment of my life. Um, you know, in terms of work stuff, I guess it’s when we had the first production Roadster at Tesla. On the rocket side, first time getting to orbit, getting the rocket to come back and land was pretty cool. Self-driving technology has been pretty inspiring too. I mean, the first time somebody experiences self-driving, where they are just sitting there and the car takes them all the way from their home to their work, and parks, it’s mind-blowing!

André Thierig: Yes! It is. I am using it all the time when I am in the US.

Elon Musk: It’s like magic!

André Thierig: Thank you so much for your time.

Elon Musk: Once again to the people of Giga Berlin, Dankeschön.

Tesla’s Cybertruck Map Easter Egg Was Discovered by Owen Sparks

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Owen Sparks has uncovered a stunning Tesla Easter egg right in the heart of Texas.

The dedicated space, energy and electric vehicle watcher posted a satellite map on X that perfectly connects Tesla Headquarters in Austin, the new Neuralink facility in Del Valle, and the combined SpaceX and Boring Company site in Bastrop County into the iconic Cybertruck logo.

I verified this wild claim myself. using both Google Maps and Apple Maps, I plotted the exact facility pins and traced the connecting lines in red. Side by side with the official Cybertruck wedge logo image, the sharp angular shape matches with impressive precision.

Sparks shared the image with the enthusiastic caption “TESLA EASTER EGG – YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP!!!” adding that “The simulation theory is starting to look more and more plausible by the day.”

This fun discovery perfectly matches one of Elon Musk’s well-known observations: “The most entertaining outcome is the most likely.”

It also brings back memories of the joyful community energy at Tesla’s 2022 Cyber Rodeo event, where the company set up a free tattoo parlor and fans celebrated the new Giga Texas factory with Cybertruck-themed ink.

In this age of transition, seeing Elon’s companies literally outline the future on the Texas map feels like literal poetry.

From creating the future for humanity, one of Amazing Abundance at Tesla to expanding human potential with Neuralink and reaching for the stars with SpaceX, Texas is becoming ground zero for an incredible tomorrow.

“You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great – and that’s what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It’s about believing in the future and thinking that the future will be better than the past. And I can’t think of anything more exciting than going out there and being among the stars.”-Elon Musk

Moments like this make us question the very real possibility of our own reality as an dynamic and entertaining simulation, in the works of Owen Sparks, 

“The simulation theory is starting to look more and more plausible by the day.”

High Above the Clouds: How Long-Haul Flights Are Becoming Truly Connected for French Travelers

Gail AlfarLeave a comment

For generations of French professionals, families, and students traveling from Paris or other mainland cities to the sunny shores of Guadeloupe, Martinique, or the distant beauty of Réunion, crossing the ocean has often meant many hours completely cut off from the world.

Emails went unanswered, parents couldn’t check on children back home, and important moments simply had to wait until wheels touched the ground.

That era is coming to an end. Air France is steadily bringing free, high-speed internet to its planes. Roughly 30 percent of the fleet already offers this reliable service, with ambitious plans to equip every aircraft by the end of 2026. Flying Blue members can connect at no extra charge, whether traveling in economy or higher classes.

Those on equipped aircraft are noticing a meaningful shift. They stay productive with work, enjoy seamless entertainment, and remain close to family and colleagues throughout the journey. Clear evidence of the difference comes from United Airlines, where more than seven million passengers have experienced the service across 129,000 flights, leading to nearly doubled satisfaction scores for in-flight connectivity.

Around the world, more than 40 airlines have now chosen this same technology, marking a major step forward in aviation.

French travelers who rely on these long routes are gaining the most practical benefits: reclaimed work time, reduced worry about being unreachable, and journeys that feel far less isolating. Hours once lost in the sky are now filled with purpose and connection.

This transformation brings real hope for the future of travel. It’s a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when bold innovation meets human needs, thanks in large part to Elon Musk and the talented engineers at SpaceX, whose commitment to connecting people everywhere continues to make the world feel smaller and safer, even at 35,000 feet.

Photo Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX Dragon Returns from ISS with Game-Changing Cargo. A Win for Future Medicine and Elon Musk’s Vision

Gail AlfarLeave a comment

Today marks another milestone in SpaceX’s relentless push to benefit humanity beyond rockets and satellites. Dragon spacecraft from the CRS-33 mission has undocked from the International Space Station after an impressive 185-day stay and is splashing down off California’s coast, carrying back over 4,000 pounds of extraordinary science samples that could transform treatments for some of the toughest diseases on Earth.

Imagine the daily struggle for millions facing Parkinson’s, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), or waiting desperately for life-saving organ transplants. These people are not statistics, they’re your neighbors whose quality of life hangs in the balance. Cargo returning today includes frozen stem cells from the Stellar Stem Cells Mission 2, grown in the unique weightless environment of orbit. Without gravity’s interference, these brain- and heart-derived cells reveal behaviors hidden on Earth, opening doors to better therapies that could slow or even halt progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

Equally exciting are the 3D-bioprinted liver tissue constructs, complete with vascular channels, matured for months in microgravity thanks to the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine team. In space, cells organize more evenly and form blood vessels more effectively, these are key hurdles in creating transplantable organs. This work inches us closer to solving the massive organ shortage crisis, where thousands wait and many don’t survive the wait.

Adding to the haul: Data from the Euro Material Ageing experiment (led by France’s CNES with ESA support), which tested 141 material samples exposed to space’s harsh conditions for a full year. The insights will lead to tougher medical implants and protective gear right here on the ground.

Elon Musk and the entire SpaceX team deserve credit for making this possible. Their Dragon spacecraft isn’t just a cargo hauler, they built a reliable platform turning the ISS into a floating lab that accelerates breakthroughs no Earth-based facility can match. By enabling these long-duration experiments, SpaceX deserves credit for fueling regenerative medicine and advanced materials that could save lives and reduce suffering worldwide.

Elon Musk, SpaceX, and every engineer who made today’s splashdown happen are rockstars! The future of healthcare just got a boost from orbit.

Sources (verified Feb 26, 2026):

  • NASA Media Advisory M26-014 & CRS-33 updates
  • SpaceX official CRS-33 mission page
  • Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine publications
  • ISS National Lab experiment overviews