TLDR
- Tesla stock fell 3.57% Monday after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the launch of OpenAI Robotics, a dedicated humanoid robot division.
- OpenAI Robotics will focus on robots for skilled labor and infrastructure, putting it directly in competition with Tesla’s Optimus program.
- Tesla has already stopped production of the Model S and Model X to convert that factory line to Optimus assembly, with capacity targeting around 1 million units annually.
- The Optimus Gen 3 reveal is expected in late July to early August, aligning with the Fremont factory conversion completing around the same time.
- Tesla also disclosed a $2 billion equity stake in SpaceX in its Q1 filing, as the two companies build joint infrastructure including a chip fabrication plant in Texas.
Tesla (TSLA) stock dropped 3.57% on Monday after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced over the weekend that his company is launching a dedicated robotics division. The stock was trading at $420.23 as of midday Monday.
Altman posted on X that OpenAI is hiring to build OpenAI Robotics, focused on hardware, controls, systems, and machine learning for humanoid robots. His vision: robots that help skilled workers on infrastructure projects first, then eventually a personal robot for everyone.
That pitch lands directly on Tesla’s turf.
Sam Altman says OpenAI Robotics is hiring to build robots that can help people in the physical world.
OpenAIās world-simulation research has become a full robotics effort built around co-designing hardware and ML as AI moves into Physical AI. pic.twitter.com/bZ3H3xiLfD
— Shay Boloor (@StockSavvyShay) May 31, 2026
Tesla has been retooling its entire Fremont factory lineup around Optimus. It ended production of the Model S and Model X in early May 2026 to free up that assembly line for humanoid robots. The conversion is expected to wrap up in late July or August, with Fremont targeting annual capacity of roughly 1 million units.
Elon Musk has positioned Optimus as Tesla’s path to a multitrillion-dollar valuation. Now, before the robot has even started rolling off a proper production line, it has a well-funded AI-native competitor.
This isn’t the first time Musk and Altman have clashed. Musk sued Altman over OpenAI’s conversion from a nonprofit to a for-profit company. A jury sided with Altman last month.
Optimus Timeline Under Pressure
Tesla currently has some Optimus Gen 3 units working inside its own facilities ā Gigafactory Texas and Fremont ā handling repetitive tasks like battery assembly. But scaled production hasn’t started yet.
The Gen 3 reveal is expected in late July to early August, timed to when Musk flagged it during Tesla’s Q1 earnings call. The tooling installation at Fremont for Optimus production was announced for Q2, with full production beginning later this year.
OpenAI entering the market now adds a credibility problem for Tesla: Optimus is no longer the only serious AI-first robot play investors are watching.
SpaceX IPO Adds to the Musk Storyline
Musk has a lot going on right now. SpaceX is set to IPO on the Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX in mid-June, targeting a valuation of $1.75 trillion to $2 trillion and raising up to $75 billion ā which would make it the largest IPO in history. Musk holds roughly 42% equity and 85% voting power.
Tesla disclosed a $2 billion equity stake in SpaceX in its Q1 filing. The two companies are also jointly building a chip fabrication plant in Texas, called Terafab, and are working together on orbital data centers.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives has put an 80% probability on a Tesla and SpaceX merger happening in 2027.
Tesla’s Q1 filing showed the $2 billion SpaceX stake. The Fremont Optimus production line conversion is slated to finish in late July or August.
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