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Tesla gives update for early FSD adopters with legacy Model S, Model X vehicles
Longtime Tesla FSD adopters with legacy vehicles recently received an update from the electric car maker. The update sheds some light on what is waiting for customers who purchased FSD and are still driving legacy Model S and Model X vehicles today.
Tesla functions like a tech company, so it is no surprise that it has moved very fast over the years. This means that constant improvements to its vehicles’ hardware are being implemented as soon as they are ready. This also means, however, that the latest updates to systems like FSD (Supervised) or Autopilot are mostly focused on vehicles that represent the majority of the company’s fleet.
This was highlighted by Elon Musk in a recent post on X, when he noted that while Tesla’s Hardware 4 will ultimately be better, all training that the company is doing right now is for Hardware 3 vehicles. Hardware 4 is just running on emulation mode.
Within Tesla’s pursuit of autonomous driving lies a group of Model S and Model X owners who bought into FSD even before the Model 3 was ramped. These owners were promised that their vehicles would have the necessary hardware to be self-driving one day, but they have not received much of Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD improvements to date. Granted, Tesla has launched a hardware upgrade program for legacy vehicles, but they are paid options that some owners have refused.
It was then no surprise that amidst the excitement for FSD (Supervised), some legacy Model S and Model X owners have expressed their frustration at being left out again. Among these is Anthony Spina, who noted in a post on X, that “all of us legacy S/X owners still haven’t received V12 yet, with no official communication stating whether or not we even will. MCU1 FSD S/X owners have been living in the dark on this for years, and now MCU2 owners are beginning to be lumped into this group as well, at least it would seem on the surface.”
Thanks @Speenuh and others who have posted on @X about this. While we normally prioritize our paid FSD customers to the extent possible, there is a group of S/X customers (~3% of total FSD eligible vehicles) who have a different hardware which the @Tesla_AI team is working to… https://t.co/W3l3SYlVZu— Rohan Patel (@rohanspatel) March 31, 2024
In a response on X, Tesla Vice President of Public Policy and Business Development Rohan Patel explained that the electric vehicle maker is putting a lot of efforts into releasing systems like FSD (Supervised) to older vehicles. The executive noted that Tesla cannot give a timeline as to when FSD would be released to older vehicles, but the company’s AI team is working on it.
“Thanks @Speenuh and others who have posted on @X about this. While we normally prioritize our paid FSD customers to the extent possible, there is a group of S/X customers (~3% of total FSD eligible vehicles) who have a different hardware which the @Tesla_AI team is working to validate. We have a rigorous safety validation cycle for every software update, and we are working as hard as possible to ship the latest builds to all customers. We don’t want to give false precision on timing until the validation can be completed, but want you to know we are focused on trying to solve this. Many of you have been with us on the FSD journey from the start and it’s super appreciated,” Patel wrote.
We ? get it and understand and sincerely appreciate the patience. Our software engineers and validation teams really are doing all they can to try and solve even on Easter Sunday.— Rohan Patel (@rohanspatel) March 31, 2024
In a follow-up post, the Tesla executive also noted that the company understands the frustration of its legacy customers. “We 100% get it and understand and sincerely appreciate the patience. Our software engineers and validation teams really are doing all they can to try and solve even on Easter Sunday,” the executive noted.
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Elon Musk
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
Elon Musk took his latest barb at former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates over his short position against the company, which the two have had some tensions over for a number of years.
Gates admitted to Musk several years ago through a text message that he still held a short position against his sustainable car and energy company. Ironically, Gates had contacted Musk to explore philanthropic opportunities.
Elon Musk explains Bill Gates beef: He ‘placed a massive bet on Tesla dying’
Musk said he could not take the request seriously, especially as Gates was hoping to make money on the downfall of the one company taking EVs seriously.
The Tesla frontman has continued to take shots at Gates over the years from time to time, but the latest comment came as Musk’s net worth swelled to over $600 billion. He became the first person ever to reach that threshold earlier this week, when Tesla shares increased due to Robotaxi testing without any occupants.
Musk refreshed everyone’s memory with the recent post, stating that if Gates still has his short position against Tesla, he would have lost over $10 billion by now:
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2025
Just a month ago, in mid-November, Musk issued his final warning to Gates over the short position, speculating whether the former Microsoft frontman had still held the bet against Tesla.
“If Gates hasn’t fully closed out the crazy short position he has held against Tesla for ~8 years, he had better do so soon,” Musk said. This came in response to The Gates Foundation dumping 65 percent of its Microsoft position.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends final warning to Bill Gates over short position
Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government also drew criticism from Gates, as he said that the reductions proposed by DOGE against U.S.A.I.D. were “stunning” and could cause “millions of additional deaths of kids.”
“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk responded.
It is not known whether Gates still holds his Tesla short position.
Tesla made a change to the Cybertruck, and nobody noticed. But to be fair, nobody could have, but it was revealed by the program’s lead engineer that it was aimed toward simplifying manufacturing through a minor change in casting.
After the Cybertruck was given a Top Safety Pick+ award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), for its reputation as the safest pickup on the market, some wondered what had changed about the vehicle.
Tesla makes changes to its vehicles routinely through Over-the-Air software updates, but aesthetic changes are relatively rare. Vehicles go through refreshes every few years, as the Model 3 and Model Y did earlier this year. However, the Cybertruck is one of the vehicles that has not changed much since its launch in late 2023, but it has gone through some minor changes.
Most recently, Wes Morrill, the Cybertruck program’s Lead Engineer, stated that the company had made a minor change to the casting of the all-electric pickup for manufacturing purposes. This change took place in April:
We made a minor change on the casting for manufacturability in April. Our Internal testing shows no difference in crash result but IIHS only officially tested the latest version
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 17, 2025
The change is among the most subtle that can be made, but it makes a massive difference in manufacturing efficiency, build quality, and scalability.
Morrill revealed Tesla’s internal testing showed no difference in crash testing results performed by the IIHS.
The 2025 Cybertruck received stellar ratings in each of the required testing scenarios and categories. The Top Safety Pick+ award is only given if it excels in rigorous crash tests. This requires ‘Good’ ratings in updated small and moderate overlap front, side, roof, and head restraints.
Additionally, it must have advanced front crash prevention in both day and night. Most importantly, the vehicle must have a ‘Good’ or ‘Acceptable’ headlights standard on all trims, with the “+ ” specifically demanding the toughest new updated moderate overlap test that checks rear-seat passenger protection alongside driver safety.
Tesla has entered an interesting situation with its Full Self-Driving suite in California, as the State’s Department of Motor Vehicles had adopted an order for a suspension of the company’s sales license, but it immediately put it on hold.
The company has been granted a reprieve as the DMV is giving Tesla an opportunity to “remedy the situation.” After the suspension was recommended for 30 days as a penalty, the DMV said it would give Tesla 90 days to allow the company to come into compliance.
The DMV is accusing Tesla of misleading consumers by using words like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving on its advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features.
The State’s DMV Director, Steve Gordon, said that he hoped “Tesla will find a way to get these misleading statements corrected.” However, Tesla responded to the story on Tuesday, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order for the company using the term Autopilot.
It said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.” It added that “sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”
This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) December 17, 2025
Tesla has used the terms Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but has added the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite, hoping to remedy some of the potential issues that regulators in various areas might have with the labeling of the program.
It might not be too long before Tesla stops catching flak for using the Full Self-Driving name to describe its platform.
Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing
The Robotaxi suite has continued to improve, and this week, vehicles were spotted in Austin without any occupants. CEO Elon Musk would later confirm that Tesla had started testing driverless rides in Austin, hoping to launch rides without any supervision by the end of the year.
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Tesla Cybertruck gets small change that makes a big difference
