Tesla wants your car to get a job, but a stack of real-world obstacles stands in the way. Tesla is trying to turn itself from a carmaker into an AI and autonomy company. Robotaxis are the headline bet. Instead of sitting in a driveway, a Tesla could be out giving paid rides. Tesla runs the platform, and one day owners could reportedly make money from it too. As of late September 2026, Tesla runs paid Robotaxi service in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, with a safety supervisor in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its two-seat Cybercab, which has no steering wheel or pedals, started taking paying riders in Austin on September 3. The owner payday is still a promise. Elon Musk has compared the plan to a mix of Airbnb and Uber, where owners tap a button to add their car to the fleet. Back in July 2025, he said privately owned cars would join the network next year. So far, every paid ride still happens in a company-controlled vehicle. Musk has also said Tesla expects to be verti...