Musk's Last Grift
crookedtimber.org> The humanoid form factor consistently proves inferior to specialized alternatives across every proposed application domain. I persists because it generates the kind of media attention and investor enthusiasm that Tesla requires for its business model. Effective robotics emerges from careful analysis of specific problems and optimisation for particular environments, not from attempts to recreate human form and movement. Until the technology sector abandons its anthropomorphic fantasies in favour of functional engineering, robotic development will remain trapped between impressive demonstrations and practical irrelevance.
The Humanoid Hoax: Unmasking the Human Puppets Behind Tesla and Nvidia’s Robot Demos, August 2025 [0]
Company busted showing off humanoid robots with humans inside of them, Sept 2024 [1]
The Optimus robots at Tesla’s Cybercab event were humans in disguise, Oct 2024 [2]
Why Humanoid Robots Still Can’t Survive in the Real World, Dec 2025 [3]
Advanced AI ‘robots’ at Iranian Tech Expo were actually humans in disguise, Dec 2025 [4]
[0]https://techstartups.com/2025/08/19/the-humanoid-hoax-unmask...
[1] https://www.tweaktown.com/news/100280/company-busted-showing...
[2] https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/13/24269131/tesla-optimus-r...
[3] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-humanoid-robo...
[4] https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/advanced-ai-robots-at-...
Site appears to be down, possibly from too much traffic?
It's back up. Maybe the archive link helped divert some of the load.
As arguably the world's richest man. Musk is just having fun. The point is probably not the money, but just getting over on everyone for laughs.
"Last"? I mean, that seems terribly optimistic. I'd expect him to be onto 'quantum' bullshit in a few years.