Skip to main content

Article That Says Tesla Robot "Attacks" Engineer Are Absurdly Misleading: What Really Happened

A recent article claimed that a Tesla robot attacked an engineer at Tesla's Texas factory during a "violent malfunction", which forced workers to hit the emergency shutdown. Pictures of the Tesla Bot further added to the misleading statements.
Article That Says Tesla Robot Attacks Engineer Are Absurdly Misleading: What Really Happened

False and Misleading Statements in Tesla Accident From Years Ago

I'm fighting Tesla FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) again and this time, it is from absurdly misleading statements from an article published yesterday that says a Tesla robot attacked an engineer at Tesla's Texas factory.

In addition to this, pictures of the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot on the front page of the article further led to the misleading statements as the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot was not involved in the incident mentioned here whatsoever.

Whole Mars Catalog on X had this to say:

What they’re actually talking about is an injury involving the Kuka robot in the factory in 2021. Although injuries are horrible they do not hint at a robotic uprising.

Andrew McCarthy on X said this statement well:

“Attacks” implies it made a decision. That robot did exactly as it was programmed to do. Apparently the worker thought it was off when it wasn’t.

Elon Musk replied to Andrew McCarthy with this:

Correct. Truly shameful of the media to dredge up an injury from two years ago due to a simple industrial Kuka robot arm (found in all factories) and imply that it is due to Optimus now.

When I interpret Elon's statement here as a response to Andrew, Elon is saying Andrew is correct and that the incident was two years ago and due to a simple industrial Kuka robot arm, which is in all of Tesla's factories and that it had nothing to do with the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot.

It's also overblown to call what happened a "violent malfunction" and to imply the that robot arm had a mind of its own with the word "attacks".

You May Also Be Interested In: The Next Generation Tesla Is Going To Be Produced At a Breakneck Pace: At Least Twice As Fast To Make As A Model Y And 5 Million Per Year Or More

The Truth Of What and When It Happened

First off, here is what one example of a Kuka robot looks like and does for reference - this one moves wood around. Tesla probably has a different variation, but this is a Kuka robot.

Second, I think Elon explained perfectly what actually happened. He affirmed "correct" to the prior X comments that the robot did exactly what it was programmed to do, and apparently the worker thought it was off when it wasn't.

By putting in pictures of the Tesla humanoid robot and exaggerating that the robot "ATTACKED" a Tesla engineer, the article does a disservice to the reality of what actually happened and implies a robot with a mind of its own that can make decisions to attack.

The incident that happened a couple of years ago is unfortunate, and condolences to the Tesla engineer involved.

My hope is that the source of this article updates their information to reflect the truth of what Elon Musk outlined - or that Tesla on its X account responds to the article with this misinformation and shares the truth. Tesla has been getting better about responding to FUD like this article.

I have intentionally not linked to the aforementioned and misleading article, however, you can find a reference to it in the X post below.

In Other Tesla News: Tesla is Sandbagging Cybertruck Production as 80+ Cybertrucks Are Ready for Delivery at Giga Texas

TorqueNews Readers, I will leave you with a few questions to ponder on this matter:

  • Why did this article say the robot ATTACKED the Tesla engineer when the robot was just doing its assigned job?
  • Why would the article put the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot as a picture in it?
  • Do you believe Elon Musk's statements about the accident that took place a couple of years ago?

Share this article with friends and family and on social media - or leave a comment below. You can view my most recent articles here for further reading. I am also on X/Twitter where I post more than just articles daily, as well as LinkedIn! Thank you so much for your support!

Hi! I'm Jeremy Noel Johnson, and I am a Tesla investor and supporter and own a 2022 Model 3 RWD EV and I don't have range anxiety :). I enjoy bringing you breaking Tesla news as well as anything about Tesla or other EV companies I can find, like Aptera. Other interests of mine are AI, Tesla Energy and the Tesla Bot! You can follow me on X.COM or LinkedIn to stay in touch and follow my Tesla and EV news coverage.

Image Credit, Kuka Robots & Automation, Screenshot

Article Reference: X Thread

Auto Sector Stocks
Automotive News
Electric Vehicle News and Reviews
Tesla