Demonstrators protest against Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk, outside a Tesla service center and gallery in Austin, Texas, U.S., June 21, 2025. REUTERS/Joel Angel Juarez
AUSTIN (Reuters) -Tesla deployed a small group of self-driving taxis picking up paying passengers on Sunday in Austin, Texas, with CEO Elon Musk announcing the "robotaxi launch" and social-media influencers posting videos of their first rides.
The event marked the first time Tesla cars without human drivers have carried paying riders, a business that Musk sees as crucial to the electric car maker's financial future.
