Tesla shares surge following critical progress in its driverless Robotaxi testing, moving the company closer to commercial autonomy. A new report reveals Tesla’s board has accrued over $3 billion in stock awards, vastly exceeding typical peer compensation at the time of granting. This financial disclosure places the company’s rapid technological advances against a backdrop of heightened governance scrutiny.
Tesla (TSLA) stock charged upward on Monday, gaining 4% in early trading as it neared its all-time high. The rally is driven by a significant operational leap: the appearance of a Robotaxi testing in Austin without a safety driver, visually confirming CEO Elon Musk’s recent timeline for unsupervised vehicles. This milestone has led prominent Wall Street analysts to declare the beginning of Tesla’s “autonomous chapter,” with the company poised to expand its test fleet and geographic reach to Phoenix and Las Vegas.
With its autonomous driving program. A key milestone was reached with a driverless Robotaxi test in Austin, validating recent timelines from CEO Elon Musk. This operational progress, coupled with planned fleet and geographic expansion, has ignited bullish investor sentiment.
This on-road development echoes bullish analyst commentary declaring the start of Tesla’s “autonomous chapter.” The company is not merely testing; it is scaling. Musk has stated the Robotaxi fleet will double in December, with plans to expand testing from its current hubs in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area to new markets including Phoenix and Las Vegas. The imminent next phase is the complete removal of the safety driver from the Austin-based service, transitioning from test to true driverless operation.
These consecutive developments represent a critical shift from promise to proof for Tesla’s self-driving ambitions. The stock movement reflects growing market confidence that Tesla’s full self-driving (FSD) technology is transitioning toward a commercial, revenue-generating reality. The successful deployment and expansion of a driverless ride-hailing network is viewed as a pivotal future growth driver for the electric vehicle maker beyond car manufacturing alone.
This surge in investor optimism, however, coincides with a new report casting a spotlight on the company’s corporate governance. According to an Equilar analysis performed for Reuters, Tesla’s board of directors has collectively earned more than $3 billion through stock awards that far exceeded the value of those given to peers at other major U.S. tech firms when they were granted. The analysis details substantial gains for individual directors, including nearly $1 billion for Musk’s brother Kimbal since 2004 and $650 million for Board Chair Robyn Denholm since 2014.
The juxtaposition is striking: as Tesla demonstrates tangible progress toward a self-driving future—a potential trillion-dollar market—its leadership’s extraordinary compensation is drawing analytical comparison. The company’s next step is the full removal of the safety driver in Austin, a move that would mark a definitive shift from testing to operational service. Meanwhile, the scale of the board’s stock-based wealth accumulation adds a complex layer to the Tesla investment narrative, highlighting both its disruptive potential and the debates surrounding its corporate structure.
