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The Boring Company’s unveiling showed another Musk-driven disruption in the making
Before the opening party for the Hawthorne test tunnel began, Elon Musk gave a rather straightforward presentation about The Boring Company’s technology to members of the media. The discussion provided a number of pertinent updates and new information about the tunneling startup’s activities, several of which were reiterated when Musk took the stage to open the unveiling event.
As the Tesla and SpaceX CEO lightheartedly discussed the updated concepts of The Boring Company’s tunneling technology, it quickly became evident that Tuesday’s event could very well be the start of yet another Elon Musk-driven disruption.
Every single company that Elon Musk started, or played a part in starting, has gone on to be a disruptor of an established industry. In his 20s, Musk and his brother Kimbal shook up the widely established Yellow Pages industry with Zip2. Musk later took on traditional banking with X.com, which eventually merged with PayPal, one of the internet’s most established financial services that are still widely used today. Tesla, an electric car startup Musk backed in its very early days, is now an automaker forcing legacy carmakers to design and release compelling EVs. SpaceX, a company that could be considered as the culmination of Musk’s childhood dreams of interplanetary travel, is becoming more and more prevalent in the US space industry.
Man vs. Traffic pic.twitter.com/UDDE7oucKM
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 19, 2018
In a way, Musk’s penchant for disruption results from his tendency to look at problems and adopt unconventional strategies to arrive at breakthrough results. In the case of SpaceX, for example, it was the company’s capability to reuse rockets that is allowing it to compete in the space industry. Electric vehicles existed before Tesla too, but the company made itself different by creating EVs that were desirable in both design and performance. This same thinking was evident when Musk presented his ideas for The Boring Company. The startup didn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel when it came to tunneling, but the company did employ a number of novel solutions that allowed it to make tunneling a lot faster, for a far lower price.
At the core of The Boring Company’s concepts are its smaller tunnel designs, which feature roughly half the diameter of conventional tunnels. This, according to the startup, reduces costs by 3-4 times. The Boring Company is also aiming to develop ways to increase the speed of its Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). Traditional TBMs are notable for their slow speed, and Elon Musk has lightly noted that a snail is effectively 14 times faster than a boring machine. As such, the Boring Co. aims to develop TBMs that can actually keep pace with a snail. The Hawthorne test tunnel provides a glimpse of the cost savings associated with the company’s tunnel design as well, as the 1.14-mile project was completed with just $10 million of funding. Musk notes that conventional tunneling projects, which use larger tunnels and slower machines, can balloon to up to $1 billion per mile.
A shrine to the late Gary who inspired it all. Pineapple gummies to celebrate. pic.twitter.com/ZFTbui6TcC
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 19, 2018
Musk has mentioned that The Boring Company has been working on improving the capabilities of its TBMs. For its next-gen machine, Musk stated that the tunneling startup had developed a new TBM cutter head that operates faster, allowing it to process and move dirt in a more efficient manner. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO further noted that The Boring Company is developing a system that will enable reinforcement segments to be created and set up on site. The company is even planning on using the dirt from the cutter head as material for tunnel reinforcements. Such a system would allow the tunneling startup to increase its digging speeds even further, especially considering that conventional tunneling practices usually involve only 10% of actual digging, with 90% of operations usually being consumed by the laying of tunnel reinforcements.
Being a company started by Elon Musk, The Boring Company is in a constant state of innovation. This was evident in the updates to the electric skates design that were initially planned for the Loop system. Concepts of the high-speed tunnels involved vehicles traveling on electric skates. On Tuesday, though, Musk noted that “There won’t be a skate. The vehicle is the skate.” Such a system was adopted in the Hawthorne tunnel’s test rides, where a Model X fitted with electric skates on its front wheels was used to transport passengers through the tunnel. Even the garage-elevator that would be used to lift vehicles back onto the road is created with efficiency in mind, being pre-fabricated and constructed off-site.
Just like his other ventures, The Boring Company has the potential to be a disruptor. With its ultra-high-speed tunnels, the startup might actually help solve the problem of traffic congestion. The Boring Company’s tunnels could even be a stepping stone towards the eventual creation of Hyperloop transportation, which involves pods traveling inside low-pressure tubes at speeds of up to 700 mph. The Boring Company’s disruption might not only be limited to transportation, either, as the startup is also poised to release the Boring Bricks, which are blocks made from tunneling rock that could be used for low-cost housing. Permits for the creation of The Brick Store, a physical outlet where these blocks are set to be sold, have also been.
The Boring Company might be a fun startup, complete with Not-a-Flamethrowers, pet snails, sharp-tongued French knights, and a Monty Python-style watchtower made of Boring Bricks, but beneath all the unveiling event’s fun atmosphere was the sense that there is another disruption in the making — one that could complement the innovations being pushed by SpaceX and Tesla.
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolls budget airline after it refuses Starlink on its planes
“I really want to put a Ryan in charge of Ryan Air. It is your destiny,” Musk said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolled budget airline Ryanair on his social media platform X this week following the company’s refusal to adopt Starlink internet on its planes.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Ryanair did not plan to install Starlink internet services on its planes due to its budgetary nature and short flight spans, which are commonly only an hour or so in total duration.
Initially, Musk said installing Starlink on the company’s planes would not impact cost or aerodynamics, but Ryanair responded on its X account, which is comical in nature, by stating that a propaganda it would not fall for was “Wi-Fi on planes.”
Musk responded by asking, “How much would it cost to buy you?” Then followed up with the idea of buying the company and replacing the CEO with someone named Ryan:
I really want to put a Ryan in charge of Ryan Air. It is your destiny.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 19, 2026
Polymarket now states that there is an 8 percent chance that Musk will purchase Ryanair, which would cost Musk roughly $36 billion, based on recent financial data of the public company.
Although the banter has certainly crossed a line, it does not seem as if there is any true reason to believe Musk would purchase the airline. More than anything, it seems like an exercise of who will go further.
Starlink passes 9 million active customers just weeks after hitting 8 million
However, it is worth noting that if something is important enough, Musk will get involved. He bought Twitter a few years ago and then turned it into X, but that issue was much larger than simple banter with a company that does not want to utilize one of the CEO’s products.
The insufferable, special needs chimp currently running Ryan Air is an accountant. Has no idea how airplanes even fly.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 20, 2026
In a poll posted yesterday by Musk, asking whether he should buy Ryanair and “restore Ryan as their rightful ruler.” 76.5 percent of respondents said he should, but others believe that the whole idea is just playful dialogue for now.
But it is not ideal to count Musk out, especially if things continue to move in the direction they have been.
News
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest rival sends latest statement with big expansion
The new expanded geofence now covers a broader region of Austin and its metropolitan areas, extended south to Manchaca and north beyond US-183.
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest rival sent its latest statement earlier this month by making a big expansion to its geofence, pushing the limits up by over 50 percent and nearing Tesla’s size.
Waymo announced earlier this month that it was expanding its geofence in Austin by slightly over 50 percent, now servicing an area of 140 square miles, over the previous 90 square miles that it has been operating in since July 2025.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk shades Waymo: ‘Never really had a chance’
The new expanded geofence now covers a broader region of Austin and its metropolitan areas, extended south to Manchaca and north beyond US-183.
These rides are fully driverless, which sets them apart from Tesla slightly. Tesla operates its Robotaxi program in Austin with a Safety Monitor in the passenger’s seat on local roads and in the driver’s seat for highway routes.
It has also tested fully driverless Robotaxi services internally in recent weeks, hoping to remove Safety Monitors in the near future, after hoping to do so by the end of 2025.
Tesla Robotaxi service area vs. Waymo’s new expansion in Austin, TX. pic.twitter.com/7cnaeiduKY
— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) January 13, 2026
Although Waymo’s geofence has expanded considerably, it still falls short of Tesla’s by roughly 31 square miles, as the company’s expansion back in late 2025 put it up to roughly 171 square miles.
There are several differences between the two operations apart from the size of the geofence and the fact that Waymo is able to operate autonomously.
Waymo emphasizes mature, fully autonomous operations in a denser but smaller area, while Tesla focuses on more extensive coverage and fleet scaling potential, especially with the potential release of Cybercab and a recently reached milestone of 200 Robotaxis in its fleet across Austin and the Bay Area.
However, the two companies are striving to achieve the same goal, which is expanding the availability of driverless ride-sharing options across the United States, starting with large cities like Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area. Waymo also operates in other cities, like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix, and Atlanta, among others.
Tesla is working to expand to more cities as well, and is hoping to launch in Miami, Houston, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Dallas.
Elon Musk
Tesla automotive will be forgotten, but not in a bad way: investor
It’s no secret that Tesla’s automotive division has been its shining star for some time. For years, analysts and investors have focused on the next big project or vehicle release, quarterly delivery frames, and progress in self-driving cars. These have been the big categories of focus, but that will all change soon.
Entrepreneur and Angel investor Jason Calacanis believes that Tesla will one day be only a shade of how it is recognized now, as its automotive side will essentially be forgotten, but not in a bad way.
It’s no secret that Tesla’s automotive division has been its shining star for some time. For years, analysts and investors have focused on the next big project or vehicle release, quarterly delivery frames, and progress in self-driving cars. These have been the big categories of focus, but that will all change soon.
I subscribed to Tesla Full Self-Driving after four free months: here’s why
Eventually, and even now, the focus has been on real-world AI and Robotics, both through the Full Self-Driving and autonomy projects that Tesla has been working on, as well as the Optimus program, which is what Calacanis believes will be the big disruptor of the company’s automotive division.
On the All-In podcast, Calcanis revealed he had visited Tesla’s Optimus lab earlier this month, where he was able to review the Optimus Gen 3 prototype and watch teams of engineers chip away at developing what CEO Elon Musk has said will be the big product that will drive the company even further into the next few decades.
Calacanis said:
“Nobody will remember that Tesla ever made a car. They will only remember the Optimus.”
He added that Musk “is going to make a billion of those.”
Musk has stated this point himself, too. He at one point said that he predicted that “Optimus will be the biggest product of all-time by far. Nothing will even be close. I think it’ll be 10 times bigger than the next biggest product ever made.”
He has also indicated that he believes 80 percent of Tesla’s value will be Optimus.
Optimus aims to totally revolutionize the way people live, and Musk has said that working will be optional due to its presence. Tesla’s hopes for Optimus truly show a crystal clear image of the future and what could be possible with humanoid robots and AI.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk trolls budget airline after it refuses Starlink on its planes
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest rival sends latest statement with big expansion
