Tesla starts Optimus production as profit falls 43%

Tesla said on October 21, 2026, that it had begun manufacturing its Optimus humanoid robot at its Fremont, California, factory, as quarterly profit fell 43%. The robot is Tesla’s first production-grade humanoid, built in space previously used for electric vehicles; design, safety and AI work continue, and no price or delivery dates have been disclosed. Net income attributable to shareholders fell to $787 million from $1.373 billion a year earlier, while revenue was nearly flat at $28.046 billion. Elon Musk called the effort early production and projected 20,000 robots per week by the end of 2027; Tesla is entering a market where Chinese manufacturers accounted for 86% of over 22,000 global shipments in the first half of 2026.