Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak shuns the limelight. But he has never been afraid of speaking truth to power. In the past, he has logged heads with Steve Jobs. And now, he called out Tesla CEO Elon Musk for wanting to project the image of a cult leader, amidst claims of self-driving cars.
Last year, during a moderated Q&A session at the Romain College of Business, Wozniak had accused Tesla and Musk of peddling lies. Before that in 2018, he had called out the electric carmaker for making false promises about self-driving cars.
Yet again, Woznaik has called out the automaker for cheating customers. He mentioned that his Tesla falls woefully short of Musk’s claims and that the billionaire has robbed him and his family of tons of money.
Apple co-founder accuses Tesla of stealing from customers
Steve Wozniak complained about losing thousands of dollars on the latest self-driving technology since 2016, when Tesla first offered Full Self-Driving (FSD) as an invalidated commercial product in beta. He stated that Tesla overpromised and under-delivered, disappointing customers and stakeholders.
The Apple co-founder told CNBC’s Squawk Box that he was deliberately misled by Musk, and driving his car is “a horrible, frightening experience.” Earlier, Tesla sold the Full Self-Driving (FSD) package for its vehicles for $5,000 or more, if the software was already installed in the purchased vehicle. But now years after purchasing the upgrade, his happy, faraway dream is a nightmare to ride in. The cars require a licensed driver to monitor them, despite the self-driving software.
He had also bought into Tesla’s early claims of robotaxis and self-driving cars.
“My life has been based on total honesty,” Wozniak said. “Everything you say is totally honest. You don’t hide things. You don’t make things up. You don’t make yourself seem better. A lot of honesty disappears when you look at Elon Musk and Tesla.” He even went on to compare his former partner Steve Jobs and Elon Musk.
“Elon Musk and Steve Jobs are very similar, and I don’t like to say that,” says Apple Co-Founder @stevewoz. “They both want to be seen as the important person and be like a cult leader. But a lot of honesty disappears when you look at @elonmusk and $TSLA.” pic.twitter.com/A5YUt5ZNIs
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) February 9, 2023
The engineer’s claims suggest that he believed Tesla’s promotional video that is alleged to have been staged at Musk’s request.
Industry leaders know that Wozniak is not entirely wrong. Recently, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into Tesla’s claims about automation.
Elon Musk and Tesla’s unfulfilled promises
In the past few years, Tesla has faced increased scrutiny over its tall claims that have never morphed into reality.
In 2019, Musk said that Tesla will have robotaxis on the road by 2020. He based his claims on data Tesla had gathered its vehicles on the road. But Tesla missed its mark. If there is one thing the automaker has been consistent in, it is in missing his mark. Even the first Tesla SUV, Model X, faced a delay of over two years.
The robotaxis were supposed to be an instrument of passive income, as owners could instruct the vehicles to ferry people to and fro and charge passengers for the service. At the time he claimed that the fleet would work smoothly, provided it received an over-the-air update.
Today, in 2023, FSD has still not managed to live up to Musk’s early claims. Customers who paid for the $15,000 option have become disillusioned and lost hope.
But Wozniak might be onto something with his statement about Musk’s aspirations to becoming a cult leader of sorts. In the past, when Musk was asked why he made such bold claims in comparison to the sober ones of other car manufacturers, he brushed off the underlying accusation saying that it might shock people to realize that even he can be wrong from time to time.
Although his robotaxis have not seen the light of day, Musk is set to reveal some of his grand Tesla plans on March 1. Until then, Tesla fans can only hope that this is the year the carmaker delivers on his promises.
