Tesla insiders say Elon optimized Full Self-Driving routes for himself and influencers

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses claims by Tesla insiders that CEO Elon Musk and popular Tesla FSD content creators have been given priority in the optimization of Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, resulting in a better experience for them compared to the average Tesla driver.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Tesla's FSD Optimization

1. What are the key claims made by Tesla insiders regarding the optimization of Tesla's FSD system?

• Tesla has been optimizing its self-driving neural nets specifically for routes taken by CEO Elon Musk and Tesla influencers producing FSD content
• Data annotators were tasked to focus on routes around Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter locations, as well as a mansion previously owned by Musk
• Tesla also prioritized data from "VIP" drivers, which are popular content creators who post FSD Beta videos

2. How does this optimization affect the experience of the average Tesla FSD Beta driver?

• The optimization results in Musk and the influencers having a better experience with Tesla FSD compared to the average Tesla driver
• This makes Musk's experience and the influencer videos not representative of the average customer experience with FSD

3. What is the potential issue with Elon Musk's promotion of FSD based on these optimized experiences?

• Elon Musk has been encouraging people to watch these videos and use them to sell FSD, which could be considered misleading promotion since the experiences are not representative of the average customer

[02] Justification for the Optimization

1. What are the potential justifications for Tesla's optimization approach?

• Elon Musk is the CEO and a tester who provides feedback, so it makes sense to focus on his feedback
• The same goes for the influencers, as they push the system to its limits, so it makes sense to train the neural nets to handle those situations

2. How does the author view these justifications?

• The author acknowledges that there are valid arguments for this optimization approach
• However, the author also states that it undoubtedly makes Elon's experience with FSD and the influencer videos not representative of the average customer experience, which is what the author has been saying for years