Musk Releases Latest Optimus Video, Expects Mass Production to Start This Summer

Tesla is transitioning its Optimus humanoid robot from demonstration to full-scale factory production.

On March 25, Tesla released the latest Optimus video through its official channels, showcasing for the first time the robot's core hardware designs such as its gearbox and dexterous hand, as well as its research and development environment, presenting the concrete progress of its engineering.

Musk immediately announced that Optimus 3 is expected to start production in the summer of this year, with plans for mass production in 2027, targeting an initial annual capacity of 1 million units.

Concurrently, on March 25, Tesla issued a special recruitment announcement, opening more than 100 Optimus-related positions within its U.S. facilities, covering the three major fields of artificial intelligence, engineering, and manufacturing. This hiring scale marks a historic high. These actions indicate that Optimus has advanced from an edge project to a core strategic pillar of the company, directly influencing Tesla's valuation trajectory.

Musk painted a broader picture, suggesting that Optimus could eventually surpass Tesla's automotive business and generate up to $10 trillion in revenue. This ambitious goal has garnered significant market attention, with current investors more focused on whether the mass production schedule can be met on time.

Large-Scale Recruitment Accelerates Production Deployment

Tesla's current round of specialized Optimus recruitment involves over 80 to 100 positions. AI algorithms and production engineering roles account for over 50%, encompassing key positions such as robotics software engineers, mechanical integration engineers, manufacturing engineers, and AI engineers specializing in world modeling and video generation.

Notably, some positions require candidates to build scalable data pipelines for the Optimus production line and develop automated tools for mass production. The recruitment language has shifted from the prototype stage to factory-scale production logic. The official announcement also explicitly emphasizes the need for "mass production capabilities," strongly echoing Musk's strategic directive to "achieve high production volume as soon as possible."

Production Schedule and Factory Modifications

Infrastructure adjustments by Tesla for Optimus mass production were confirmed during the Q4 2025 earnings call on January 28 of this year. Musk announced that the company would cease production of the Model S and Model X, and repurpose relevant production lines at its Fremont factory for Optimus manufacturing—a clear signal that Tesla is prioritizing its humanoid robot project over its two oldest automotive lines.

Simultaneously, Tesla broke ground in late 2025 on a dedicated Optimus manufacturing facility at its Gigafactory Texas, with long-term plans for an annual capacity of 10 million units.

However, technical bottlenecks have not been entirely eliminated. Although Tesla claims breakthroughs in core technical challenges, issues with hand reliability and thermal management still require further validation during actual mass production. Following the typical S-curve growth pattern in manufacturing, Optimus 3 is expected to enter small-batch production this summer, with initial capacity limitations. Scaled expansion will commence in 2027.

Optimus Vision Controversy Continues to Heat Up

Musk's business logic is based on labor economics: if Optimus can perform repetitive physical labor at scale and low cost, the potential market space will be enormous. Early target industries are concentrated in manufacturing assembly, material handling, quality inspection, and warehouse logistics. Long-term plans extend to domestic, healthcare, and broader logistics scenarios, with Musk's ultimate goal being to achieve smartphone-level penetration.

At the valuation level, the debate over how much of the Optimus vision has already been priced into the market continues to intensify. As of March 25, Tesla's stock was trading around $278, while GF Value estimated TSLA at $253.41, marking it as "significantly overvalued." This implies that the progress of Optimus's mass production and its commercialization capabilities have become key variables influencing Tesla's valuation trajectory.

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