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Tesla’s use of AI Day for recruitment piqued interest from engineers, Musk says
Tesla’s use of specific events for recruiting purposes was welcomed in by the company’s recently held AI Day, which took place in mid-September. Looking to expand its team of software engineers and AI experts, Tesla showed the most intimate details regarding its AI platform, impressive examples of its Full Self-Driving suite, and even unveiled the Tesla Bot. The idea worked, CEO Elon Musk revealed during the 2021 Annual Shareholder’s Meeting, which was held last night.
AI Day was perhaps Tesla’s most in-depth look into its semi-autonomous driving programs, its plan for a next-level Supercomputer and chip, and a surprising look at the company’s plans to begin building robot prototypes. Ultimately, for anyone who was in attendance or listening to the event, it was obvious it wasn’t geared toward informing the normal Tesla fan or enthusiast about its FSD progress. The language and technical nature of the event pointed toward one thing: Tesla needed new, young, and bright talent for their development of AI, and this was the perfect outlet for it.
Still, it is only a good idea if it works. But let’s be real, in 2021, what hotshot out of college would not want to work at Tesla? With all of the great technology that the company has released in the past few years, combined with the undoubted position of authority that Tesla holds in the EV space, most college students or engineering prodigies would most likely be willing to submit an application to Tesla, and Elon Musk stated that the event was overwhelmingly successful in bringing Tesla the talent that it sought after.
“And then AI Day, I think it was important to change the fundamental perception of Tesla because people do…they sort of think of Tesla as a car company, and yes, we made cars, but the AI part of Tesla was not well understood,” Musk said at the Shareholder meeting. “Tesla is as much a software company as it is a hardware company. And we also do the chips. So we designed the full self-driving inference computer. We’re designing a training computer that’s going to be able to, we think, be the most efficient neural net training computer in the world by far.”
It is a common misperception among most people to think that Tesla is exclusively an automotive manufacturer. However, the company deals with much more outside the realm of vehicles. Along with sustainable energy storage and production through its Tesla Energy side, it also develops software, chips, and other crucial parts of a car’s “brain,” if you can see it in that light. This is all a result of the hard work and dedication Tesla’s engineers have put forth. Musk indicates that more highly qualified candidates are on the way.
“We’re seeing a tremendous response, so daily applicants by role…And then after AI Day, that’s the AI applicants increased dramatically. So I thought that was a very successful day. Team did a great job. And yes, it’s going to be a very important part of the future. Self-driving is obviously one of the functions,” Musk added.
Please consider joining Tesla AI software or hardware teams! pic.twitter.com/HgigdtenKN
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2021
Tesla has landed on Universum’s list of most attractive employers for engineering students on several occasions. Released in November 2020, the most recent list had Tesla and SpaceX ranked first and second, respectively, in the rankings.
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Tesla confirms Robotaxi is heading to five new cities in the U.S.
After launching in Austin, Texas, in late June and the Bay Area of California just a few weeks later, Tesla has been attempting to expand its Robotaxi suite to new states and cities in the U.S., and even outside of the country.
Tesla Robotaxi will hit five new cities in the United States in the coming months, the company confirmed.
After launching in Austin, Texas, in late June and the Bay Area of California just a few weeks later, Tesla has been attempting to expand its Robotaxi suite to new states and cities in the U.S., and even outside of the country.
The Robotaxi suite is a ride-hailing service Tesla offers, but the details of it change with each jurisdiction, as regulations vary. For example, in Austin, Tesla can operate the Robotaxi suite without anyone in the driver’s seat, as long as the vehicle does not enter a freeway.

Credit: Tesla
In the Bay Area, a Safety Monitor rides in the driver’s seat, essentially acting as the vehicle operator with Full Self-Driving controlling the car.
The local regulations and how Tesla handles them will continue to be a relevant part of the discussion, especially as the company aims to expand the Robotaxi program to different areas. This has been a primary focus of the company for several months, especially within the United States.
CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla was aiming to launch Robotaxi in Nevada, Arizona, and Florida. However, the company detailed five specific cities where it will launch Robotaxi next during the Annual Shareholder Meeting on Thursday.
Tesla will launch Robotaxi in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Miami next, broadening its Service Area for the suite to more major cities across the U.S.
It has said it plans to offer the service to half of the U.S. population by the end of the year, but it does not seem as if it will expand to more than a handful of cities this year, which is still tremendous progress, all things considered.
As far as autonomy is concerned, Tesla has always had lofty expectations and has made some even loftier statements.
At the Shareholder Meeting, Musk said that the company would likely be able to enable vehicle owners to text while the vehicle drives, alleviating them from potentially having some of the responsibility they have behind the wheel.
Tesla says texting and driving capability is coming ‘in a month or two’
It is not confirmed that Tesla will roll this out in the next few months, but Musk said there is a possibility.
News
Tesla launches another new Model Y trim at a bargain price with massive range
It is the second most-affordable Model Y trim level in China, trailing the base Rear-Wheel-Drive and coming in under the All-Wheel-Drive.
Tesla has launched yet another new Model Y trim level, but this time it is in China, and it is at a bargain price.
It also has an insane range rating.
On Friday, Tesla launched the new Model Y Long Range Rear-Wheel-Drive in China, priced at 288,500 yuan ($40,500), an incredible deal considering it is not a stripped-down version of the vehicle like the Model Y Standard.
🚨🚨 Tesla’s new China-launched Model Y LR RWD offers 821 km (510 miles) CLTC range with 78.4 kWh CATL battery, beating AWD’s 750 km.
At 288,500 yuan ($40,500 USD), it fits between base RWD (593 km, 263,500 yuan) and AWD (313,500 yuan) for affordable long-range EVs.
CLTC… https://t.co/rhKVzvUWlu pic.twitter.com/ZOoelziJ8T
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 8, 2025
It is the second most-affordable Model Y trim level in China, trailing the base Rear-Wheel-Drive and coming in under the All-Wheel-Drive.
The big appeal with this new Model Y trim is obviously its price, but its range rating is also one of the best we’ve seen. Rated at 821 kilometers on the CLTC scale, it converts to 510 miles. It uses a 78.4 kWh CATL battery.
Converted to real-world range, however, that 821-kilometer range rated by the CLTC actually is equivalent to about 357 miles on the EPA scale, which is still a very respectable number and comes in at a higher range than the Long Range All-Wheel-Drive configuration that is available in the U.S.
Tesla has truly brought a wide variety of Model Y trims to the Chinese market, including a new Model Y L configuration that features a slightly longer wheelbase, as well as additional interior features like extended thigh legrests and captain’s chairs with armrests.
It is unclear whether Tesla will bring a Premium Rear-Wheel-Drive option of the Model Y to the U.S., especially as it has already rolled out four configurations of the all-electric crossover in the market. With the new Standard offerings, Tesla will likely keep its lineup as simple as possible.
However, the company has hinted that there is a slim possibility the Model Y L could come to the U.S. sometime late next year, but CEO Elon Musk said that it is not a guarantee.
Tesla is more concerned with self-driving efforts in the U.S., and despite calls from customers for larger vehicles, it does not seem concerned with making them available, at least not for now.
News
Tesla Model Y Performance set for new market entrance in Q1
The lightning-fast trim level of the all-electric crossover packs a variety of new improvements, including more range and better acceleration, thanks to aerodynamic improvements and other performance-based changes.
Tesla’s new Model Y Performance is set to arrive in a new market in Q1 2026, a company executive confirmed on Friday.
The lightning-fast trim level of the all-electric crossover packs a variety of new improvements, including more range and better acceleration, thanks to aerodynamic improvements and other performance-based changes.
It was initially launched in Europe, and then it made its way to the United States. However, it will soon be available in a new market: Canada.
Raj Jegannathan, a Tesla executive, confirmed on Friday that the company would be bringing its Performance trim of the Model Y to the Canadian market early next year:
Q1
— Raj Jegannathan (@r_jegaa) November 8, 2025
Interestingly, the Model Y Performances that enter the Canadian market will likely come from Gigafactory Berlin and not Gigafactory Texas, even though it is logistically more advantageous.
There is a 25 percent tariff on U.S.-built vehicles currently, and Tesla has been sending Germany-built Model Y vehicles to Canada to avoid this and keep prices reasonable for customers.
Some Model Y owners in Canada have already confirmed that their units came from the German production facility, not the United States.
Model Y Performance deliveries have not yet started in the United States, but are slated for late November or early December.
Tesla refined the Model Y Performance’s exterior design with new front and rear fascia designs, a new performance carbon spoiler, 21″ Arachnid wheels and tires, and adaptive damping to help with better handling.
There are also new Drive Modes for better control during high-speed driving.
It also packs the same improvements as the new Model Y features over its predecessors, including acoustic glass and premium sound-damping materials for a quieter cabin, and heated and ventilated front sport seats.
In the United States, it is priced at $57,490. It will very likely be higher in Canada due to logistics costs and other factors.
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