Investor's Corner
LIVE BLOG: Tesla (TSLA) Q1 2025 Company Update and earnings call
The following are live updates from Tesla’s Q1 2025 earnings call.
Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Q1 2025 earnings call comes on the heels of the company’s Q1 2025 Update, which was released after the closing bell on April 22, 2025.
Tesla’s Q1 2025 Results:
- Total Revenues: $19.3 billion
- Total automotive revenues: $13.967 billion
- Total GAAP gross margin: 16.3%
- Gross Profit: $3.15 billion
- EPS non-GAAP: $0.27 per share
- Free cash flow: $664 million
The following are live updates from Tesla’s Q1 2025 earnings call. I will be updating this article in real time, so please keep refreshing the page to view the latest updates on this story.
16:20 CT – Hello, and happy earnings day to everyone! While Tesla missed the Street’s expectations, the stock has not shown its typical volatility at all. That being said, this earnings call is quite interesting due to the upcoming “Company Update.”
Tesla also reiterated its section about new vehicles that “remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025” in its Update Letter. What are these vehicles? Just variants of the Model 3 or Model Y? Was the Cybertruck LR RWD one of them already? Or are they actually new cars that we’ve just never seen before?
Either way, ten minutes and counting.
16:27 CT – Now I’m just curious if the Company Update will be a video. The thumbnail Tesla is using on X and YouTube shows an “Audio Webcast Only” graphic though. Three minutes and counting.
16:28 CT – And there’s the music. Wonder if it’s going to be on time.
16:34 CT – Annd we’re now on the Elon time threshold. Tesla stock is actually up 4% in after-hours today. Pretty nutty considering that the Q1 earnings are a miss.
16:36 CT – The earnings call is formally starting. Here we go.
Elon Musk takes the stage. “There’s never dull moment these days,” he said. He admits to the blowback from his work with DOGE. He also admitted that those against DOGE are bound to attack him and his companies, such as Tesla. Musk reiterates his belief that it’s important to fight waste and fraud. “I think it’s critical work,” Musk said.
16:40 CT – Musk discusses the protests against Tesla. He alleges that the protests are not organic. “The actual reason for the protests is that those who are receiving the waste and fraud want to continue receiving the waste and fraud,” he said.
Musk notes that starting next month, in May, his time allocation for DOGE will drop significantly. He will continue to spend a day or two on government matters or as long as the U.S. President wishes him to. “Starting next month, I will be allocating more of my time with Tesla,” Musk stated.
16:43 CT – Musk noted that Tesla is no stranger to challenges, but Tesla has been through the ringer several times in the past. “We’re not on the ragged edge of death….not even close,” he said.
He also highlighted that Tesla is on the cusp of autonomous cars and autonomous humanoid robots. Musk expects unexpected bumps this year, but he remains confident on the future of Tesla. The idea of Tesla potentially being the most valuable company in the world by far was reiterated. “Maybe as valuable than the next five companies combined,” he said.
“We expect to be selling fully autonomous rides in June in August,” Musk stated. He also stated that autonomy in cars will affect the bottom line by mid-2026.
16:47 CT – Musk discusses Tesla’s supply chain, highlighting that Tesla is the least affected automaker by the Trump tariffs. That being said, Tesla has been working to localize its supply chains for years. He admitted that tariffs are tough on companies where the margins are so low. Musk also clarified that he continues to advocate for lower tariffs, but that’s all he can do. Trump has the decision.
“The tariff decision is entirely up to the President of the United States. I will weigh in on the decision, but its primarily up to the President. I continue to advocate for lower tariffs rather than higher tariffs,” Musk said.
16:50 CT – Musk noted that he would now explain why he is very excited for Tesla’s future. He noted that Tesla is laser-focused on bringing autonomy in June in Austin, Texas. He highlights Tesla’s general approach to autonomy.
“We have a general solution (to autonomy) rather than a specific solution,” Musk said.
He also noted that Tesla expects to use thousands of Optimus robots in its factories this year. He expects Optimus’ ramp would be one of the fastest. By 2030, or 2029, a million Optimus per year is plausible.
16:52 CT – Musk highlighted that the Tesla Energy unit is doing very well. “We expect the stationary energy storage to scale to terawatts per year,” he said.
16:54 CT – Musk stated that Tesla chose to update the Model Y in Q1 because the first quarter tends to be the weakest. People do not usually buy a lot of cars in winter, after all. He highlighted that the Model Y is the world’s best-selling cars.
“We picked Q1 to cut over to the production of the new Model Y…at the same time in factories across the world,” Musk stated, adding that, “In conclusion, while there are many headwinds, the future of Tesla is brighter than ever.”
He thanks the Tesla team and stated that he is looking forward to leading the team.
16:56 CT – Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja takes the stage. He explained the company’s reduced vehicle deliveries, which were caused by the changeover to the new Model Y across its factories. He also noted that the negative effects of vandalism and unwarranted hostility towards Tesla and its staff affected sales in some areas.
The CFO noted that even with these challenges, Tesla was able to sell out legacy Model Y in Q1. “We have an extremely competitive vehicle lineup and after that we have FSD,” he said.
17:03 CT – Taneja noted that the Powerwall 3 has been received well by customers and Tesla is currently supply constrained.
He also discusses the effects of tariffs, though he highlighted that Tesla is a very American automaker. Tesla is not immune to the tariffs, but the company could navigate the challenging landscape better than other automakers. That said, Tesla’s US lineup complies with USMCA by 85%. The company is working on non-China battery suppliers as well.
17:06 CT – Say Questions begin. First up is a question about the highest risk items on the critical path to robotaxi launch and scaling. Elon stated that robotaxis in June in Austin will be comprised of a Model Y fleet.
“Teslas that will be fully autonomous in Austin will be Model Ys,” Musk said, adding that Tesla’s paid autonomous rides will be coming to other cities later this year. “I predict there will be millions of Teslas operating fully autonomously in the second half of next year [in the US].”
Musk did state that there will be some localized parameters for Tesla’s paid autonomous rides in different regions, like snowy areas. A good driver in California won’t be as good in the middle of a blizzard in winter, after all.
17:09 CT – Ashok Elluswamy, VP of Autopilot/AI Software at Tesla, noted that localized parameters still follow Tesla’s general approach to autonomous cars. He also highlighted that validation is still critical for robotaxi operations. In Tesla’s factories today alone, there could be many days without interventions, making it hard to figure out if FSD Unsupervised is working as intended.
Musk and Taneja joked that Tesla customers in China are really pushing FSD to its limits. People in China “putting [FSD] to the real test,” Musk stated.
Cybercab is also in sample validation now, and it’s still scheduled for production next year.
17:12 CT – Another question is asked, this time about when FSD Unsupervised will be released. “Before the end of this year” in the United States, Musk stated, adding that FSD Unsupervised must be meaningfully safer than human drivers before it is released.
17:15 CT – A question about Tesla’s new cheaper models is asked, and if the company is focused on simplified versions to enhance affordability, similar to the RWD Cybertruck.
Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy noted that these cheaper vehicles are still on track. The ramp is slower than we hoped but nothing is blocking the company from initial production.
17:21 CT – Another question is asked, this time about how FSD Unsupervised will compete against Waymo’s offering, especially regarding pricing, geofencing and regulatory flexibility.
“The issue with Waymo’s cars is that it cost waayy more money,” Musk joked. He also stated that Teslas cost a quarter or 20% what a Waymo cost, and the company’s vehicles are made in large volume.
Musk predicts 99% market share for robotaxi unless other companies can deploy the same amount of vehicles on the roads as Tesla. “I don’t see anyone being able to compete with Tesla at present,” he stated.
By the end of the year Musk is confident that the Model Y will drive itself all the way to the customer autonomously from the factory.
17:25 CT – A question about the unboxed method and how that is progressing was also asked. Tesla notes that the company’s unboxed process is progressing. “You’ll see it on tests and roads in the coming months.” Tesla is also focused on improving the method, like marrying sub-assembly areas together. “This is a revolutionary production system,” Musk noted.
When describing the Cybercab line, Musk stated that “it will ultimately achieve a cycle time of 5 seconds or less.” So far, Tesla is fastest at 33 seconds in Giga Shanghai.
17:29 CT – A question about tariffs and political biases was asked. The executives noted that Tesla is very localized already. Localization for Tesla is 85% in North America and 95% in China. “We’re ridiculously vertically integrated,” Musk stated.
Tesla makes lithium, cathode and cells. Only thing left is the anode. Musk also stated that Tesla’s in-house cells are the most competitive.
17:34 CT – A question was asked if Tesla has battery supply constraints. Tesla executives noted that while tariffs pose a challenge, Tesla is prepared to face it. Tesla is also not battery constrained for vehicles.
17:36 CT – Another question was asked, this one about “brand damage.” Executives highlighted that Q1 was all about the new Model Y changeover, and the company is still dominating its segments. “Tesla is not immune to the macro demand for cars,” executives noted.
17:39 CT – A question is asked about Optimus’ production line. Musk noted that Optimus is still in development, so most of its production will be at the end of the year. He also noted that most things for Optimus production is new, so it’s ramp has its challenges.
Musk noted that Optimus is affected by the Trump administration’s tariffs against China since the humanoid robot uses robots from the country. Elon Musk also reiterated the idea that Tesla will produce 5,000 Optimus robots this year.
17:40 CT – Analyst questions begin. Pierre Ferragu of New Street Research discussed the market share of Tesla’s cars. Musk noted that “the reality is in the future most people aren’t going to buy cars.” The CEO recalled that when the iPhone came out, veteran phone makers like Nokia opted to continue making legacy products. Consumers, however, wanted the most intelligent product available.
17:43 CT – Emmanuel Rosner from Wolfe asked about the FSD and its required number of human interventions. What still needs to happen for FSD to be Unsupervised? Tesla noted that it is aware of aware of the interventions happening in public FSD, and the robotaxi service rolling out in a couple of months will be focused on key areas. “We really working through a long tail of unusual interventions,” Tesla executives noted.
When asked if Tesla will need remote operators, Tesla noted that the robotaxi service in Austin will use use them, but only if absolutely needed.
17:46 CT – Edison from Deutsche Bank asked how Optimus’ supply chain will look like. Musk noted that Tesla is focused on localization, especially considering geopolitical uncertainty. The analyst followed up with the number of robotaxis in Austin in June. Musk noted that Day 1, there will probably be 10 cars to observe.
17:49 CT – A Cannaccord analyst asked about FSD pricing. Tesla executives noted that people who bought FSD typically believe that FSD is too cheap, especially its monthly subscription. Granted, FSD is insistent that drivers pay attention to the road, which affects the pricing. But when FSD is already fully unsupervised, that monthly fee will feel very affordable.
When asked about the Indian market, Tesla explained that India is a very hard market because of its taxes.
17:53 CT – Colin Langan from Wells Fargo asked about Tesla’s vision based approach and how the company plans to get around issues like sun glare and dust. Musk noted that Tesla uses Direct Photon Counting to see clearly through fog, dust, and sun glare. With this, Teslas can drive directly facing the sun or in extremely dark environments.
The analyst asked if the affordable cars will just be a cheaper Model Y. In response, Lars Moravy noted that Tesla is using its existing lines, limiting the design of the cheaper model. The new cars will depend on existing lines, so least their form factor will be familiar.
17:57 CT – Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley asked about the Trump tariffs. Musk highlighted that he is just one of many advisers, and he does not make decisions. “I am an advocate for predictive tariff structures,” Musk noted.
As a follow up, Jonas asked if Musk believes the US or China is ahead in the development of AI humanoids and drones. Musk laughed and noted that it’s obvious which one is ahead in drones. America sadly cannot manufacture its own drones, and China holds a notable amount of the supply chain. Musk highlighted that US should not depend so much on China to make drones.
He noted that Tesla and SpaceX will be at the top of companies’ rankings, but he is apprehensive that ranks 1 through 10 will all be Chinese companies.
18:02 CT – And that wraps up Tesla’s Q1 Company Update and earnings call! Tesla really answered a lot of questions in this call, making it one of the longest Q&A sessions to date.
With that, till the next time, everyone!
Tesla’s livestream of its Q1 2025 Company Update and earnings call can be viewed below.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk calls Earth’s data centers “peanuts” next to what SpaceX is planning in orbit
Elon Musk says SpaceX capex efficiency is underestimated as orbital data centers loom by 2028.
Elon Musk is pushing back on one of the biggest worries hanging over SpaceX stock. In a reply on X on Sunday, Musk said the company’s capital expenditure efficiency is severely underestimated. He was responding to a Milk Road Stocks post citing analyst Kyle Reidhead, who estimates SpaceX will need to spend roughly $470 billion over the next five quarters.
Reidhead built that figure around the target SpaceX set on its third quarter earnings call: 13 gigawatts or more of compute by the end of 2027. In his breakdown, Nvidia captures 83 to 89 percent of the spending. SpaceX ended the quarter with 1.7 GW of nameplate compute and guided to $35 billion to $40 billion in fourth quarter capex, as Teslarati reported.
Musk did not attach a number to his claim, but the earnings call shows the argument. CFO Bret Johnsen said new compute currently pays for itself in under a year at today’s pricing, and Musk said that window could shrink to six months next year. Using that pace, Reidhead argues about $230 billion of the $470 billion could come from operating cash flow and about $60 billion from SpaceX’s roughly $90 billion cash pile, leaving around $180 billion to borrow. Musk confirmed last week that SpaceX had already closed a new $40 billion debt raise to buy GPUs.
The ground buildout is not the end goal. It is what is meant to pay for the move to orbit. Replying on Friday to charts built from Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire’s SpaceX model, Musk wrote that “Terrestrial compute will be peanuts compared to orbital compute,” adding that orbital compute deployed per month “probably exceeds terrestrial around the end of 2028 and then far exceeds it in 2029.”
Maguire’s model shows how steep that path is. It has capex climbing from $88 billion this year to $290 billion in 2027 and $369 billion in 2028, with SpaceX burning $77.8 billion in cash this year and $122.6 billion next year before turning $114.9 billion cash positive in 2028. Musk’s response to the model was, “I think we can do better.”
The orbital half runs through Starmind. SpaceX plans to operate up to 1 million AI satellites flying in clusters of about 10, linked by roughly 10 terabits of bandwidth, with deployment of thousands of units starting as soon as late 2027 out of its Gigasat factory in Bastrop, Texas, according to SpaceX’s space safety page. Musk has said each Starmind spacecraft will carry more than 250 kW of solar power.
Getting there depends on launch volume. Maguire’s model assumes 250 Starship flights in 2028, up from two this year and 38 next year. The nearer test is financial: SpaceX guided to $33 billion to $37 billion in first quarter 2027 revenue, more than double the $14.58 billion it booked in Q3, and Musk reposted that guidance again on Sunday morning.
Elon Musk
SpaceX President to gift Trump Accounts her SpaceX stock
Gwynne Shotwell’s 2 million SpaceX shares are headed to children’s Trump Accounts starting this December.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said Friday that more than 2 million SpaceX shares belonging to her and her husband, Robert, will be distributed to children’s Trump Accounts in December, turning a pledge she made over the summer into an actual transfer. “Robert and I are thrilled that our gift of over 2 million shares of SpaceX stock will be distributed to children’s Trump accounts in December!” Shotwell wrote on X, adding that the shares are “transferring to escrow as we speak.”
The first round goes to children aged 11 to 17 who live in ZIP codes where the median family income is $57,000 or less, along with kids in ZIP codes with too few residents for the Census to report that figure. Shotwell said those families should receive a notice by Monday, Reuters reported.
A second gift is expected to be finalized in the next few weeks. That round will cover eligible children in military families serving overseas, children in foster care, and more kids in Texas counties near the Shotwells’ home where median family income is $90,000 or less. Elon Musk replied to the announcement with “Cool” and a heart emoji.
Shotwell first announced the donation on July 6, less than a month after SpaceX priced its record IPO at $135 per share on the Nasdaq. IPO filings showed Shotwell owned about 12.6 million SpaceX shares, Quartz reported at the time, which makes the gift roughly one sixth of her stake. At the roughly $146 per share used to value Musk’s own pledge earlier this month, 2 million shares are worth about $290 million.
How the stock would actually reach the accounts had been an open question since July. Treasury guidance acknowledged that stock donations could flow into Trump Accounts, but it did not explain the mechanics for a program whose contributions default into an S&P 500 index fund. Shotwell thanked the Treasury, the IRS, the Dell Foundation, Greater Horizons, Invest America and the law firms Morgan Lewis and Gibson Dunn for “working over the past few months to make this happen.”
The transfer also works as a dry run for a far larger gift. On October 19, Musk said he would give one of his SpaceX shares to every kid in America next year and called it “the first of many.” With roughly 72 million children in the country, that pledge is worth about $10.5 billion. President Donald Trump thanked Musk the same day and said the shares would go through Trump Accounts, though neither SpaceX nor the Treasury has published how or when that distribution will happen.
Shotwell’s recipients also fill a gap in the program itself. Trump Accounts launched on July 4, and the $1,000 Treasury deposit only goes to babies born between 2025 and 2028. Teenagers aged 11 to 17 receive no government seed money, so for many of the families getting a notice on Monday, SpaceX stock will be the first asset in the account. The accounts convert into retirement accounts when the child turns 18.
Investor's Corner
Tesla has a Cybercab problem nobody saw coming
Tesla’s Cybercab line now builds robotaxis faster than Tesla can deploy them, Lars Moravy says.
Tesla’s Cybercab line in Texas can now build the two seat robotaxi faster than the company can put it into service, according to Lars Moravy, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering. “We don’t run every day because the line can run so fast. It’s currently outpacing our deployments,” Moravy said in a new Cybercab deep dive from Munro Live. “So, it’s a bit of a race right now. Who’s going to go faster? Right now the manufacturing line’s ahead.”
Tesla’s official Robotaxi account shared a Cybercab analysis video on X on Monday, calling it a “Cybercab engineering deep dive.” Moravy’s comments go further than what he told analysts on the Q3 earnings call last week, when he said the Cybercab line’s listed capacity of more than 125,000 units a year undersells what it can actually run.
The tour shows where that speed comes from. Tesla’s unboxed process splits the Cybercab into front, rear, side and center modules that are built and tested on their own before they meet on a short final line. That final line has just 25 fully automated stations, which Tesla’s team estimated is a fifth to a tenth of what a Model Y needs. The full line is about 78% automated, the framing line is already at 100%, and the layout uses roughly 50% less floor space per vehicle. The stated goal is “100% automation in 10 second cycle time,” or one finished Cybercab every 10 seconds.
Tesla also deleted the paint shop. Only the side modules are coated, and the exterior panels get their color inside the molding machine. Engineers said the car is designed to run at least 500,000 miles, which matters for a vehicle that will spend most of its day carrying riders.
The battery got the same treatment. The Cybercab uses an 88S6P pack of 4680 cells in a steel enclosure, a first for Tesla, with each module potted separately so a single failed module can be swapped instead of the whole pack. Wireless battery management boards replace a wiring harness, and new contactors are fast enough to drop the pyro fuse entirely. Tesla’s battery director graded the pack an A minus, compared with a D for the Model Y structural pack and a B minus for Cybertruck. Up front, the drive unit runs an 11:1 gear ratio versus roughly 9:1 on most Teslas, since the Cybercab does not need a high top speed.
Cybercab engineering deep dive — Robotaxi (@robotaxi) October 26, 2026
The deployment side is now the bottleneck Moravy described. Tesla had more than 50 Cybercabs working the Formula 1 weekend in Austin, and Texas records show 463 Cybercabs registered. Tesla said on its earnings call that Cybercab service will launch in Dallas next month, and Moravy said the company is aiming to get Cybercabs to customers by the end of 2026. Every unit built so far has gone into Tesla’s own fleet since the line moved into volume production in April.
Munro Live also asked when it could get a Cybercab to tear down. Tesla’s answer: “Not yet.”
Tesla owners who tap Emergency Drive Away for fun are in for a surprise
Elon Musk calls Earth’s data centers “peanuts” next to what SpaceX is planning in orbit
