The players deploying robotaxi right now are entering a market that resembles shared micromobility(scooter, e-bike) - what they need is not just vehicles, but t

The players deploying robotaxi right now are entering a market that resembles shared micromobility(scooter, e-bike) - what they need is not just vehicles, but to get on the side of the appropriate regulatory bodies and to get eyeballs on the product. It's a fight won one city at a time, and it favors partnering with companies like Uber that have built experience in both of those aspects. This is a fight that Tesla doesn't seem to be engaged with - it's staying on the manufacturing side of the issue. Its opponents are going to see this as a gun they can fire to shut out Tesla's supply-centric economics: install regulations on robotaxi - vehicle form factor, signals, testing - that make it impossible for anyone but a well-capitalized player to enter. Then it doesn't matter how cheap the vehicle gets if the other costs required to operate legally keep small players out. Tesla's recourse in this market is to either sell a commodity product that passes regulation, which is terrible for their bottom line, or to become a robotaxi company themselves, which is not unfeasible(they have the Supercharger network, they can grow more vertically) but which they aren't currently aimed for. If they did that the fast path would be to find a ridehail partner and acquire them. I believe in the robotaxi concept, but I don't think it's settled as to what form it ultimately takes.