In Tesla’s quest for a self-driving vehicle, construction zones appear to be giving the recently released Full Self-Driving Beta the most issues of any traffic scenario thus far.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite is still in its Beta stage, which is giving the all-electric automaker sufficient information in its pursuit of a fully autonomous vehicle. Only a small group of Tesla owners have access to the self-driving characteristic, with a majority of those creating content for enthusiasts to follow the software’s improvements.
With plenty of high points, there are also shortcomings, which show that Tesla has plenty of work to do in order to develop the self-driving software into an acceptable release candidate for other owners to utilize.
New video taking a look at how #FSDbeta handles construction live!
Video: https://t.co/SAV6PRNINB pic.twitter.com/CHvopZQOrd— Tesla Raj (@tesla_raj) December 13, 2020
It is becoming more evident that construction zones may be one of the more difficult traffic situations that Tesla will encounter when writing the FSD software.
A new video from Tesla owner-enthusiast Tesla Raj shows that the FSD Beta has issues with construction areas despite its many improvements and updates.
Construction areas are difficult to navigate anyway and can confuse drivers as no two zones are identical. This may be why Tesla’s FSD suite has some issues with following instructions in certain areas and zones. For example, Raj’s FSD-equipped Model 3 was free to progress forward at a local road worker’s command. However, the vehicle did not continue navigating as the stoplight at the intersection was illuminated in red. The vehicle likely recognized the red light and correctly decided not to proceed. However, the worker’s commands were relevant at the time, and he requested that Raj move forward through the intersection.
Normally, traffic rules are consistent and do not have many deviations in different states. However, construction zones rarely have identical rules because, depending on the project, the location, and weather conditions, things can vary.
This is likely where Tesla will encounter its biggest bottlenecks in the process of writing FSD software. Just as road rules vary from country to country, construction zones are difficult because of their lack of consistency. This is where experience and Tesla’s Neural Network will likely be the company’s biggest advantage in the quest for a self-driving car. The constant development of the company’s FSD software will lead to improvements over time.
The important thing to remember is the FSD Beta is still relatively young and has only been active for a couple of months. While it is highly complex, its performance depends on the number of miles driven by FSD users, and improvements will likely be refined over the course of the next several months and years, eventually leading to a fully autonomous vehicle. CEO Elon Musk expects Tesla to reach level 5 Autonomy by the end of 2021, but even he knows the company has plenty of work to do until that is a possibility.
Watch Tesla Raj’s video of the FSD Beta working through construction zones below.
Elon Musk
SpaceX secures win as US labor board drops oversight case
The NLRB confirmed that it no longer has jurisdiction over SpaceX.
SpaceX scored a legal victory after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decided to dismiss a case which accused the company of terminating engineers who were involved in an open letter against founder Elon Musk.
The NLRB confirmed that it no longer has jurisdiction over SpaceX. The update was initially shared by Bloomberg News, which cited a letter about the matter it reportedly reviewed.
In a letter to the former employees’ lawyers, the labor board stated that the affected employees were under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board (NMB), not the NLRB. As a result, the labor board stated that it was dismissing the case.
As per Danielle Pierce, a regional director of the agency, “the National Labor Relations Board lacks jurisdiction over the Employer and, therefore, I am dismissing your charge.”
The NMB typically oversees airlines and railroads. The NLRB, on the other hand, covers most private-sector employers, as well as manufacturers such as Boeing.
The former SpaceX engineers have argued that the private space company did not belong under the NMB’s jurisdiction because SpaceX only offers services to “hand-picked customers.”
In an opinion, however, the NMB stated that SpaceX was under its jurisdiction because “space transport includes air travel” to get to outer space. The mediation board also noted that anyone can contact SpaceX to secure its services.
SpaceX had previously challenged the NLRB’s authority in court, arguing that the agency’s structure was unconstitutional. Jennifer Abruzzo, the NLRB general counsel under former United States President Joe Biden, rejected SpaceX’s claims. Following Abruzzo’s termination under the Trump administration, however, SpaceX asked the labor board to reconsider its arguments.
SpaceX is not the only company that has challenged the constitutionality of the NLRB. Since SpaceX filed its legal challenge against the agency in 2024, other high-profile companies have followed suit. These include Amazon, which has filed similar cases that are now pending.
News
Tesla accuses IG Metall member of secretly recording Giga Berlin meeting
The union has denied the electric vehicle maker’s allegations.
Police seized the computer of an IG Metall member at Tesla Giga Berlin on Tuesday amid allegations that a works council meeting was secretly recorded.
The union has denied the electric vehicle maker’s allegations.
In a post on X, Gigafactory Berlin plant manager André Thierig stated that an external union representative from IG Metall attended a works council meeting and allegedly recorded the session. Thierig described the event as “truly beyond words.”
“What has happened today at Giga Berlin is truly beyond words! An external union representative from IG Metall attended a works council meeting. For unknown reasons he recorded the internal meeting and was caught in action! We obviously called police and filed a criminal complaint!” Thierig wrote in his post on X.
Police later confirmed to local news outlet rbb24 that officers did seize a computer belonging to an IG Metall member at the Giga Berlin site on Tuesday afternoon. Tesla stated that employees had contacted authorities after discovering the alleged recording.
IG Metall denied Tesla’s accusations, arguing that its representative did not record the meeting. The union alleged that Tesla’s claim was simply a tactic ahead of upcoming works council elections.
The next works council election at Giga Berlin is scheduled for March 2 to 4, 2026. The facility’s management had confirmed the dates to local news outlets. The official announcement marks the start of the election process and campaign period.
Approximately 11,000 employees are eligible to participate in the vote.
The previous works council election at the plant took place in 2024, and it was triggered by a notable increase in workforce size. Under German labor law, regular works council elections must be held every four years between March 1 and May 31.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s xAI plants flag in Bellevue AI hotspot
The lease places xAI’s new office in one of the region’s fastest-growing tech hubs.
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has leased a full floor at Lincoln Square South in downtown Bellevue, WA, as per city permit filings.
The lease places xAI’s new office in one of the region’s fastest-growing tech hubs.
Public records indicate that xAI leased roughly 24,800 square feet in Lincoln Square South. The location was previously occupied by video game company Epic Games. Lincoln Square South is part of the Bellevue Collection, which is owned by Kemper Development Co.
The lease was first referenced in January by commercial real estate firm Broderick Group, which noted that an unnamed tenant had secured the space, as stated in a report from the Puget Sound Business Journal. Later filings identified xAI as the occupant for the space.
xAI has not publicly commented on the lease.
xAI hinted at plans to open an office in the Seattle area back in September, when the startup posted job openings with salaries ranging from $180,000 to $440,000. At the time, the company had narrowed its location search to cities on the Eastside but had not finalized a lease.
xAI’s Bellevue expansion comes as Musk continues consolidating his businesses. Last week, SpaceX acquired xAI in a deal that valued the artificial intelligence startup at $250 billion. SpaceX itself is now valued at roughly $1.25 trillion and is expected to pursue an initial public offering (IPO) later this year.
Musk already has a significant presence in the region through SpaceX, which employs about 2,000 workers locally. That initiative, however, is focused largely on Starlink satellite development.
Bellevue has increasingly become a center for artificial intelligence companies. OpenAI has expanded its local office footprint to nearly 300,000 square feet. Data infrastructure firms such as Crusoe and CoreWeave have also established offices downtown.
SpaceX secures win as US labor board drops oversight case
Tesla accuses IG Metall member of secretly recording Giga Berlin meeting
