Musk: Robots are more important than the automotive industry and will focus on research and development

Tesla CEO Musk said on Wednesday on a fourth-quarter financial call that priority would be given to developing a robot that could do jobs that are now only human.

Musk said he believes robots "may be more important than the automotive industry over time" and have the potential to change the labor shortage and revolutionize the entire economy.

On Wednesday's conference call, Musk said, "The foundation of the economy is the workforce . . . If there were no labor shortages, can you imagine what it would be like? I'm not sure what that meant for the economy as a whole at that time. That's why optimus robots are so important. ”

Last August, Tesla demonstrated a robot with a human-like shape, using technology similar to Tesla's. Musk said at the time that he wanted to launch a robot called Optimus in 2022.

He also said at the time, "When the rise of robotics and automation makes manual labor no longer necessary, we need to promote universal basic income." ”

However, Musk habitually likes to launch some very cool new product ideas, and this new robot may also be an example of Musk's acting skills. He has also previously announced that Tesla is developing exciting products that are scheduled to launch in the coming years. But the innovations he announced generally didn't materialize within the expected timeframe. Analysts see this as a way for him to motivate employees, customers and investors.

According to media analysis, Musk is a "master of distractions." When things don't go well in the world, he often throws out half-baked sci-fi ideas that dazzle people.

Tesla's fourth-quarter results announced on Wednesday were stronger than expected. Tesla reported revenue of 17.72 billion yuan, while analysts expected 16.57 billion yuan. Tesla's revenue in the quarter increased by 65% year-on-year, of which the total revenue of automobiles was 15.97 billion yuan, an increase of 71%.