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Elon Musk's epic dance moves in China foreshadows a painful future for Tesla critics
Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrived in Shanghai on January 7 to handover a batch of Made-in-China Model 3 to non-employee Chinese customers. Musk was his classic, lighthearted self on stage during the event as he showed off his dance moves in front of Tesla enthusiasts who were in attendance.
Musk was unashamedly open, goofy and comedic — traits that he has been known for since his emergence as a public figure. He shook hands with new owners, high-fived others, and encouraged Gigafactory 3 workers to have fun and be “quirky” while working for the company.
Starting his dance with some classic hand moving and bouncing, he then handed his microphone off to Tesla executive Grace Tao before removing his jacket in a way that can only be described as “smooth as butter.” Tossing his blazer to the side with a wide-eyed grin and continuing his dance moves, Musk then broke out moves that are sure to rival 2020’s most talked-about dances, like DaBaby’s “BOP” choreography.
This is classic, old-school Elon, and it shows a behavior that’s a far cry from 2018’s intense, stressed “Funding Secured” Elon, and 2019’s almost-dark “Autonomy Day” Elon. Over the past couple of years and as Tesla worked on ramping the Model 3, the man responsible for the success of Tesla has been more reserved and almost understated. Simply put, this open display of humor in China is the happiest we have seen Musk in a long time.
This is bad news for the company’s critics and shorts. TSLAQ loves to claim that the downfall of Tesla is just around the corner. Last year, the narrative surrounding the company almost made it feel like Tesla’s failure was indeed imminent, with several Wall St. analysts embracing the “no demand” narrative. TSLA stock fell to over two-year lows as a result. Autonomy Day was practically dismissed by Wall St. Few took Tesla’s Robotaxi concept seriously. And Elon, who appears to be super passionate about the companies that he runs, turned serious.
Tesla turned its fate around after Q3 2019, with the stock climbing to record highs and giving shorts a painful blow worth over $2 billion. TSLA stock ultimately ended 2019 on a powerful note, showing that Elon Musk’s serious change of tone seemed to have worked.
Now we have fun, confident, and lighthearted Elon back again. Considering how emotionally attached Elon is to his companies, this level of confidence is reassuring. This shows that Elon is feeling welcomed in China, where the Made-in-China Model 3 is poised to be a big hit. This also shows that he is confident that Gigafactory 3 is up to the task of bringing the Model 3, and later, the Model Y, to market. If Gigafactory 3 can ramp its Model Y program quickly, then the pain that Tesla critics have felt in 2019 may be just a taste of what’s to come.
The Tesla bears’ narrative is crumbling with sustainable demand seemingly being established by the company’s Model 3 numbers quarter after quarter. Sales continue to rise and Tesla is in the process of opening its second foreign production plant in Brandenburg, Germany. With the Model Y coming in Gigafactory 3, Elon Musk may have literally just danced on TSLAQ’s proverbial grave.
Tesla has extended its Bay Area ride-hailing service to include pickups and drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The update, shared via the company’s official channels on July 21, allows users in the region to request rides directly to and from one of California’s busiest airports.
The expansion builds on Tesla’s secured limousine permit for SFO operations. Public records show the permit became effective March 20, 2026, and remains active through January 31, 2027. Tesla vehicles operating the service now display authorized limousine permits issued by the City and County of San Francisco.
Our Bay Area rideshare service now goes to SFO ✈️
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s ride-hailing program in California relies on Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology. Human safety drivers remain present in compliance with state regulations, distinguishing the service from fully driverless operations.
The Bay Area geofence covers a broad area spanning north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, offering extensive connectivity across the region.
UPDATE: Elon Musk reveals why Tesla didn’t say ‘Robotaxi’ upon California launch
This SFO addition follows earlier progress at other Bay Area airports. Tesla previously expanded service to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in late 2025. The company had engaged with SFO, SJC, and Oakland International Airport officials as early as September 2025 to secure necessary approvals for passenger transport.
The service provides a new option for travelers seeking electric, app-based transportation integrated with Tesla’s ecosystem. Rides are booked through Tesla’s dedicated ride-hailing application, which handles matching, routing, and payments. Pricing follows standard ride-hailing models, with potential adjustments based on distance, time, and demand.
Tesla’s California ride-hailing program launched in July 2025 with an initial invite-only rollout in the Bay Area. It started alongside operations in Austin, Texas, marking the company’s second major U.S. market.
The Bay Area remains a primary focus in California, with service centered on high-demand corridors connecting residential, commercial, and now major transportation hubs. This latest airport integration represents a practical step in Tesla’s broader mobility ambitions within the state.
Tesla has officially revealed its 2026 Summer Update, which comes with a variety of crazy new features, including Navigation fixes that owners have been wanting for months.
Tesla routinely releases a larger update with the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter updates, where it ships a variety of new features, bug fixes, and other additions to customer cars.
The 2026 Spring Update featured things like “Hey Grok” voice assistance, a redesigned self-driving app, Unreal Engine visual upgrades, and more.
🚨 TESLA’S SUMMER UPDATE FOR 2026 IS HERE:
Featuring:
✅ Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
✅ Caraoke with Scoring
✅ Automatic Navigation
✅ Preferred Routes
✅ Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
✅ Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
✅ Rear Display Lock
✅ Other Improvements
🔌… https://t.co/C9IW3egEhH
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s Summer Release has about ten new features; we’ll show you each and detail them below:
New Grok Voice Commands
“Grok can now make phone calls, search and play music, adjust climate, open the glovebox, and answer questions about your Tesla.”
Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
“View and share self-driving stats from the mobile app.”
Caraoke With Scoring
“Caraoke now scores your singing while in Park. High scores are saved to your Tesla profile.”
Automatic Navigation
“Automatic Navigation now adapts to your routine.
In addition to Home, Work, and upcoming calendar events, your vehicle can now suggest and route to places you visit regularly – like a school drop-off on the way to work, or the gym on the way home.”
Preferred Routes
“For a more personalized experience, navigation now prioritizes routes that you’ve taken before”
Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
“Set your desired Arrival Energy from your phone.”
Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
“Skip the USB drive and upload a custom wrap of your car from the mobile app. Instructions for creating a custom wrap here: https://github.com/teslamotors/custom-wraps.”
Rear Display Lock
“Kids can watch content on the rear screen, but only the front row can control it through the rear screen app.”
Other Improvements
- Find Superchargers by name when searching for a destination
- Add Apple Music songs to queue from search and artist page
- Set your preferred zoom level for the Self-Driving visualization
- Intro animations for new Model 3 and Y
Tesla’s reason for Starlink integration on Cybercab might surprise you, as the company’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, finally shed some light on the reason they are putting a satellite internet terminal on its ride-hailing-geared vehicle.
On Monday, Tesla officially confirmed that it would integrate Starlink V5 terminals into Cybercab vehicles, something many Tesla fans had figured the company would do, as the vehicle is primarily geared toward giving rides without any passenger intervention.
Starlink V5 directly integrated in Cybercab pic.twitter.com/FxzTtzjB6I
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 20, 2026
The ability to access the internet would allow riders to work or play in the car with their devices. It seemed like a more-than-reasonable feature to add to the Cybercab, which made its way off the production lines for the first time earlier this year.
Tesla reveals first vehicle model to receive Starlink integration
However, the move is not for the rider, as Elluswamy confirmed on Monday night. Instead, it’s actually for Tesla to be able to have a constant connection to the cars in the Robotaxi fleet so it can troubleshoot issues, contact riders, or resolve other issues.
Elluswamy said:
“It is still not required for safe operation of the vehicle. Connectivity is primarily meant for navigation, customer service and, in general, fleet management.”
It is still not required for safe operation of the vehicle. Connectivity is primarily meant for navigation, customer service and, in general, fleet management.
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) July 20, 2026
Many initially assumed the option of constant connectivity would be enabled on the Cybercab for passenger entertainment or work. With the Cybercab, passengers won’t be doing anything but enjoying the ride, so it seemed more than logical that they would be hanging out with Starlink internet access as an amenity.
However, Tesla’s primary concern with Robotaxi is safety, and nailing these first unsupervised rides is a crucial step to setting a good narrative on how effective driverless transportation can be.
Being able to get in touch with passengers or a vehicle if something is wrong is a crucial part of the overall experience, and preventative measures are being taken by Tesla to ensure a smooth process, even in the worst-case.
Tesla expands ridesharing service in California to new hotspot
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
