Tesla 'We, Robot' Event Had Electric Robovans and Robotaxis and Bartending Optimus Robots

Elon Musk unveils his vision about the future of Tesla at the ‘We, Robot’ event on October 10, 2024, where robots danced and posed for photos. The secret got out that the robots were being remotely controlled by humans.

Below is a preview of my full interactive article on Medium. Go to the original article to watch the videos embedded from X.com.

credit: Z.Love

Ifyou didn’t attend the ‘We, Robot’ event on October 10, 2024, held at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California, well you certainly missed an opportunity to be served drinks or to get a selfie with Optimus Gen 2.

The event turned out to not only be a reveal of the robo-taxis and robo-vans, but also a more in-depth glimpse at the Optimus Gen 2 robots.

Unveiling of Optimus Robots at ‘We, Robot’ Event

Elon Musk posted the following video clip from the ‘We, Robot’ event on Thursday night.

credit: Elon Musk on X.com

Elon Musk: ‘Whatever you can think of, it will do’

At the ‘We, Robot’ event, Elon Musk — the visionary — said:

“It will do anything you want,” Musk said. “It can be a teacher, babysit your kids, walk your dog, mow your lawn, do your groceries, be your friend, serve drinks. Whatever you can think of it will do, and yeah, it’s gonna be awesome.

I think this will be the greatest product ever of any kind because I think every one of the 8 billion people of Earth, I think everyone is going to want their Optimus buddy, and there’s gonna be maybe two.” -Elon Musk, Tesla CEO

But just because Uncle Elon said it, doesn’t mean that you should let the Optimus Robot babysit your kids, although I wouldn’t mind if it would wash my car regularly.

The price tag, according to Elon Musk, “will be between $20,000 to $30,000, once they are produced at scale.”

Below is an image showing people interacting and posing for photos with an Optimus Gen 2 robot at the event.

credit: Tesla

Don’t Forget About the Tesla Robo-Taxis!

The wow factor of the Optimus bots “among humans” may have overshadowed that this was originally set to be the date for the unveiling of the Tesla taxis.

Those in attendance were able to ride in the Tesla taxis at Warner Bros. studios, which had pre-determined routes for the taxis to give free rides.

credit: Tesla

Below is an image of Elon Musk getting into a Tesla taxi “robo-taxi” coupe.

credit: Tesla

Also seen (pictured below) is a futuristic-looking Tesla “robo-van” bus.

credit: Tesla

Below you can see a video clip of the Tesla RoboVan at the event.

credit: barstoolsports

Optimus Robots at the After Party

“The Optimus robots will walk among you,” said Elon Musk at the ‘We, Robot’ event, which was met with cheers in the audience. He continued, “Please be nice to the Optimus robots, so you’ll be able to walk right up to them, and um, they’ll serve drinks at the bar…” (see photo below of an Optimus handing out gift bags at the after party)

Tesla Optimus handing out gift bags; credit: Tesla

Do the Robots use A.I. or Not…That is the Question

Jalopnik reported that the Optimus robot bartending (seen in the clip below) may not have been operating autonomously at all, claiming that it was actually being remote-controlled by a Tesla employee.

credit: Robert Scoble on X.com (formerly Twitter)

Jalopnik reported that “AI enthusiast” Robert Scoble flat-out asked a Tesla Optimus robot “Hey Optimus, how much of you is actually AI?”

The robot’s operator replied, “I would say, it might be some,” and that it was something he would have to find out later. That interaction can be seen below.

credit: Robert Scoble on X.com (formerly Twitter)

The more important question that lingers after this interaction is, “Will humans be remotely controlling the future commercial Optimus robots for sale, or will the robots be 100% autonomous?”

The Verge: Tesla Fans Were Impressed at ‘We, Robot’ Event

The Verge reported, “There were plenty of Tesla fans who were thoroughly impressed by what they saw last night and ready to declare that it was “game over” for every other player in the field. The Robo-van wowed many with its Art Deco styling. And positive vibes extended to the company’s most bullish investors, some of whom participated in Musk’s theme park experience and came away forever altered.”

The event gave attendees a glimpse into Elon Musk’s vision of the future, which appears very lucrative for Musk if every person buys two Tesla Optimus “buddies.”

This could deepen the gap between the rich and the poor if only the elite can afford Optimus bots.

Reader Poll: What do you think about the future of Tesla with this ‘We, Robot’ event? (share your thoughts in the comments)

If you liked this article, clap for it, share it on social media, and subscribe to this author.

Sources

TikTok profile: @barstoolsports

DaSilva, Amber. “Tesla’s Beer-Serving Optimus Robot Was Controlled By A Human The Whole Time.” Jalopnik. 11 October 2024.

“Elon Musk Shares His Vision for Optimus Robots at ‘We, Robot’ Event.” CNET. 11 October 2024.

Elon Musk on X.com (formerly Twitter)

Hawkins, Andrew. “The Tesla Cybercab is a cool-looking prototype that needed to be much more than that.” The Verge. 11 October 2024.

Hughes, Liz. “Humanoid Robots Serve Drinks, Party With Guests at Tesla We Robot Event.” IOT WORLD TODAY. 11 October 2024.

Robert Scoble on X.com (formerly Twitter)

Companies use Surveillance Software to Monitor their Remote Employees Working from Home

 

Company using surveillance on remote employees

If you are a remote worker, there are some questions you may ask yourself:

"Does my company spy on remote employees with home office surveillance?"

"Does my company spy on me while I am working remotely?"

"Is my company spying on its remote workers using the webcam?"

These are all valid questions a remote worker should consider.

The Pandemic has shifted more Office Workers to Remote Workers

Thanks to the pandemic, we now live in a world where many of us are now working remotely from home or now working a hybrid work schedule, with some days in the office, and other days working from home. Some companies are now willing to hire a person after doing a webcam interview, and will ship a desktop or laptop computer straight to their new employee's address!

Do employers spy on their employees with special software, now dubbed "tattleware?" The answer is: Yes.

Some companies do spy on their employees working remotely from home, to monitor performance.

This type of home office surveillance is not okay with everyone.

A Company was Spying on a Remote Employee without his Permission

The Guardian published an article about a man hired to work for a company in their Digital Marketing department. He was working for home, and after working for them for three weeks, he discovered that the company installed software called Sneek on his company-owned computer. The company used this software to take photos or video clips from the laptop camera on that computer, at their discretion to monitor his performance. The employee found this to be an invasion of his privacy, so he quit. He said, "I signed up to manage their digital marketing...not to livestream my living room."

Source: The Guardian

Is Sneek Software Used to Spy on Remote Workers, or Stay Connected to Teams?

Sneek software co-founder Del Currie says: "We know lots of people will find it an invasion of privacy, we 100% get that, and it's not the solution for those folks...but there's also lot's of teams out there who are good friends and want to stay connected when they're working together."

Sneek is just one example of remote surveillance software companies are using to monitor their remote employees on company-provided desktop and laptop computers.

Source: The Guardian

Why can Remote Workers not be Trusted to Work from Home?

The Washington Post reported that thousands of companies now use monitoring software to record employees' Web browsing and active work hours, dispatching the kinds of tools built for corporate offices into workers' phones, computers and homes. But they have also sought to watch over the workers themselves, mandating always-on webcam rules..."

Source: The Washington Post

Other Ways Employers Monitor Remote Workers on Desktop and Laptop Computers

There are other ways employers can monitor remote workers, in addition to or instead of using webcam surveillance. These other methods include:

• An Archive of all web pages viewed on desktop and laptop computers
• Logging keystrokes on employee's desktop and laptop computers
• Monitoring all open applications on an employee's desktop and laptop computer
• Screen captures of the desktop and laptops on the network

Quick statistics:

American Management Association did a survey of companies, and found the following:

- 48% of participating companies use video surveillance to prevent sabotage, violence, and theft.

- Only 7% of these companies use video surveillance monitoring to track on-the-job work performance.

Source: American Management Association

What Laws Protect Remote Employees from Surveillance Software?

The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) allows for employers to monitor business-related activities on the company-owned property, but requires the employer to inform the employee of their recording activity.

A company will also typically disclose their surveillance of employees in their Employee Handbook or in disclosures that employees agree to and sign at the initial hire date. This includes their computer and internet policy, and how they monitor their employees using company property (i.e. desktop and laptop computers).

Suggestion for Remote Employees Working from Home with a Webcam

If you take a company-owned computer home, be aware that your employer might be monitoring you. As a suggestion, and unless your company specifically says otherwise, you can take a piece of tape, and tape something like a piece of paper, or use non-transparent electrical tape, and obstruct the view from your front-facing camera. If your employer has a problem with this, they will let you know, but this will ensure that you are not being recorded without your knowledge. Be sure to be careful not to cause damage to the company laptop or webcam while applying the tape. This tape will have to be removed if you have a meeting.

If your company monitors its employees without informing you, would you feel that it is an invasion of your privacy?