Elon Musk is taking a stand in favor of making child care more accessible. Earlier today he tweeted that he’s planning to increase childcare benefits in his companies. He also said that the Musk Foundation will help families directly. In another tweet, he replied to Sara Mauskopf, the CEO and co-founder of Winnie.
Winnie focuses on helping parents to find local daycares and preschools while also providing details on these schools such as photos, detailed descriptions of the programs, and tuition information.
Agreed, this needs to be addressed
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 8, 2022
Sara Mauskopf’s thread started with an article by CNN that covered the surging child care costs that are forcing providers to raise their prices. As she continued her thread, Sara Mauskopf pointed out that there is record low labor force participation among women with young children who don’t have a college degree. She continued.
“So this is further exacerbating the problem because many of these women who would be taking jobs in the care economy are not participating in the labor market – hence why hiring is such a challenge right now for child care providers.”
She added a quote from a New York Times article, that highlighted the issue of a shortage of childcare and elder services that are preventing workers, especially women, from being able to work.
“For women, that’s the double whammy — most of those workers are women, and most of the people who need those supports to enter the workforce themselves are women.”
4/ And in 10 months we’re going to start seeing the impact of abortion bans on our strained child care system. Remember that we have no federal paid leave so as soon as these babies are born, we’ll have 📈 parents who need child care they can’t afford https://t.co/xSiQmUAhge
— Sara Mauskopf (@sm) July 8, 2022
She added that within the next ten months, we will start seeing the impact of abortion bans on the strained child care system.
“Remember that we have no federal paid leave so as soon as these babies are born, we’ll have 
parents who need child care they can’t afford.”
She then added that Elon Musk spoke about population collapse.
“I believe that if we want to encourage big families, we have to make child care more accessible. Elon, I’d love to talk more about how we make this a reality.”
To this, Elon Musk replied, “Agreed, this needs to be addressed.”
Addressing The Elephant Head On
This is what I've been saying for a while now: raising children for average people is very expensive. Our youngest (child #4 btw) is entering High School now. From oldest to youngest we've been paying for raising them from 1994 to at least 2026. 3+ decades is a lot of expenses
— DrKnowItAll (@DrKnowItAll16) July 8, 2022
One common criticism of Elon Musk’s stance on population is that people can’t afford to have kids. I’ve seen it, heard it, and I also agree with that–somewhat. I have spoken about my own thoughts and experience on this matter already. Several of my friends who do have children have highlighted this problem. Single parents have it more intensely than those who have a partner. This is why childcare services are so important.
Vox shared an interesting article as to why many in America don’t want to have kids in 2022. The infant formula shortage, the high cost of providing nutritious food, and taking care of the child are challenging problems. Especially for single parents with little or no support system. The US doesn’t have paid parental leave and the article noted that child care costs more than college in many states–if the parent can find a provider.
If we want women to work, we have to have a support system in place for their children. The article listed other problems such as school shootings, and the U.S. being ranked worst for maternal mortality in a group of 10 similarly wealthy countries. You can read the full article in Vox here.
Elon Musk Using His Influence To Address Some Of These Problems
Seeing Elon Musk use his influence on Twitter to address some of these problems today was refreshing. He is definitely worried about the population decline. And he advocates for having more children. It’s good to see him want to take on the problems that many Americans, especially single parents, have.
This is important and I think some good will come from this.
Elon Musk appeared on the Moonshots podcast with Peter Diamandis today to discuss AGI, U.S. vs. China, Tesla, and some other interesting topics, but there was some discussion about the upcoming unveiling of the Roadster, the company’s electric supercar that will arrive several years after it was initially slated for release.
Musk made some pretty amazing claims about the Roadster; we already know it is supposed to be lightning-fast and could even hover, if Tesla gets everything to happen the way it wants to. However, the car has some pretty crazy capabilities, some of which have not even been revealed.
On the podcast, Musk said:
“This is not a…safety is not the main goal. If you buy a Ferrari, safety is not the number one goal. I say, if safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster…We’ll aspire not to kill anyone in this car. It’ll be the best of the last of the human-driven cars. The best of the last.”
🚨 Elon on the Roadster unveiling, scheduled for April 1:
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 6, 2026
Musk makes a good point: people who buy expensive sports cars with ridiculous top speeds and acceleration rates do not buy them to be safe. They hope they are safe in case of an emergency or crash, but safety is not at the forefront of their thoughts, because nobody buys a car thinking they’ll crash it.
The Roadster is truly going to push the limits and capabilities of passenger vehicles; there’s no doubt about that. Tesla plans to show off the new version car for the first time on April 1, and Musk has only hinted at what is possible with it.
Musk said back in November:
“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveiling ever. [It will be unveiled] hopefully before the end of the year. You know, we need to make sure that it works. This is some crazy technology in this car. Let’s just put it this way: if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it’s crazier than that.”
Production is set to begin between 12 and 18 months after the unveiling, which would put the car out sometime in 2027. Hopefully, Tesla is able to stay on track with the scheduling of the Roadster; many people have been waiting a long time for it.
News
Tesla launches hiring for Robotaxi program in its twentieth country
Overall, the hiring signals Tesla’s aggressive timeline for global dominance in autonomous mobility.
Tesla has launched a hiring initiative for its Robotaxi program in its twentieth country, as the company posted two new jobs in Thailand this week.
Tesla is hiring in Bangkok and Kowloon for the Vehicle Operator position, which is related to data collection, and is the first in Thailand, but the twentieth country overall, as the company tries to expand into other markets.
🚨 BREAKING: Tesla is hiring additional full-time Vehicle Operators in Bangkok, Thailand.
Previous openings were 6-month, part-time roles. These are equivalent to AI Safety Operator roles in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/R6LzoU1bos— Tesla Yoda (@teslayoda) January 5, 2026
Tesla has had active job postings for Vehicle Operator positions in the United States, India, Israel, Taiwan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Norway, Italy, and Turkey in past listings.
These postings are not all currently available, likely because the roles have been filled.
Thailand is the most recent, and broadens the company’s potential path to expanding its ride-hailing program, which is only active in the United States in Austin, Texas, and the California Bay Area, so far.
These roles typically involve data collection, which assists in improving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving operation. Tesla’s self-driving programs utilize real-world data that is accumulated and stored, observing vehicle and traffic behavior, as well as tendencies that are performed by human drivers to help increase safety and overall performance.
Overall, the hiring signals Tesla’s aggressive timeline for global dominance in autonomous mobility. Although the company has several high-profile rivals and competitors in the field, it has established itself as a main player and a leader in the development of autonomous technology, especially in the U.S., as its FSD suite is refined on almost a weekly basis.
The Full Self-Driving suite is available in seven countries and territories currently, including the U.S., Canada, China, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Australia, and New Zealand. Its biggest goal for expansion is currently the European market, where regulatory hurdles have been the main bottleneck prolonging its launch on the continent.
Tesla has performed months of testing in various European countries, including France and Spain, and does have support in some areas from various regulatory agencies. However, the company is hoping to get through this red tape and offer its suite in Europe for the first time, hopefully this year.
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Tesla China rolls out Model Y upgrades, launches low-interest financing
These strategies are aimed at improving the ownership experience and keeping vehicle pricing competitive in the world’s largest electric vehicle market.
Tesla has rolled out minor updates to the five-seat Model Y in China, upgrading the vehicle’s center display to a higher-resolution 16-inch 2K screen. The electric vehicle maker also introduced attractive financing options, including 7-year low-interest rates, to offset the new purchase tax on EVs.
These strategies are aimed at improving the ownership experience and keeping vehicle pricing competitive in the world’s largest electric vehicle market.
Five-seat Model Y gets larger, better display
With its recent update, all three variants of the five-seat Model Y now feature an upgraded 16-inch 2K resolution center display, which replaces the vehicle’s previous 15.4-inch 1080p panel. This screen was already used in the six-seat Model Y L, and it offered improved visual clarity. Tesla China has also updated the Model Y’s headliner to black, giving the vehicle a sleeker appearance.
Prices of the five-seat Model Y remain unchanged at RMB 263,500, RMB 288,500, and RMB 313,500 for the respective trims. This update enhances the cabin experience as domestic rivals are already adopting high-resolution screens. As noted in a CNEV Post report, some domestic automakers have begun rolling out vehicles equipped with 3K-resolution displays.
New financing offers
Tesla also launched ultra-long-term financing offers for its locally produced models in China, which include the Model 3 sedan, the five-seat Model Y, and the six-seat Model Y L, through January 31, 2026. The 7-year option features an annualized fee rate as low as 0.5%, which is equivalent to 0.98% interest. This is expected to save customers up to RMB 33,479 ($4,790) compared to standard rates.
A 5-year zero-interest plan is also available, and it has been extended to the Tesla Model Y L for the first time. These incentives help offset China’s new 5% purchase tax on New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) in 2026-2027. Some of Tesla’s rivals in China have announced in recent months that they would be covering the purchase tax owed by buyers early this year.
Elon Musk just said some crazy stuff about the Tesla Roadster
Tesla launches hiring for Robotaxi program in its twentieth country
