Dave Lee on Investing

I’m experimenting with a new type of video format. This is more of a deep dive into recent events I think are significant and I think have big future implications. It is a lot of work to come up with the topic and angle and to fully produce it from start to finish. Fortunately AI is helping a lot with the process and it would be too laborious without its help. But just know I’m very involved in th...

Before Tesla’s Roadster event, Emmet Peppers and I recorded our drive from Austin to Waco. We started with his Cybercab rides—and ended up debating Tesla’s future, a possible SpaceX merger, and who wins the AI race. My view is that Tesla needs more than great hardware and manufacturing. As AI gets more capable, access to the best intelligence becomes increasingly important. That’s a big reason I t...

Emmet Peppers and I just left Tesla’s Roadster event in Waco, Texas. Seeing that demo in person was mind-blowing. But what can customers actually buy—and what does this tell us about Tesla’s future? On the drive back to Austin, we talk through the Roadster, a possible Tesla–SpaceX merger, Cybercab, and what could get Tesla’s business growing again. We also debate Cybertruck demand and whether Tesl...

After experiencing Tesla’s Cybercab in Austin, I think the biggest thing people are missing is the zero-sum game built into Uber. Two people share one environment with different preferences. The driver wants the temperature at 66. I want 72. We have different preferences for music, volume, and whether the windows should be open. My comfort can come at the expense of his—and I don’t blame the drive...

Social 🐦 Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/heydave7 🎧 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dave-lee-on-investing/id1493031991 🎙️Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2iin015s0k21Bt4ldep9XT?si=uBV4Ft8hQEu_GE4YSIDDGg 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heydave7 Dave Lee on Parenting, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWD9b1BZqi2G2u30sGYIFrA NOTE: Please don’t fall for scammers w...

I took two rides in Tesla’s Cybercab in Austin, and I’m telling you — this thing exceeded my expectations. The legroom, quiet cabin, huge screen, and freedom to just sit back and enjoy the ride are incredible. But the biggest surprise was how natural it feels with no steering wheel or pedals. There’s no empty driver’s seat reminding you that someone is missing. It just feels like this is how getti...

Tesla’s growth has slowed, and the affordable new model many people expected hasn’t arrived. Did Tesla abandon its high-volume ambitions—or choose a different path to get there? In this video, I share my theory about why Elon Musk went all in on Cybercab and FSD, what that decision may have cost Tesla in the short term, and how it could lay the foundation for an entirely new lineup of affordable,...

I attended Tesla’s Cybercab launch event in Austin and spent more than two hours speaking with Tesla engineers and examining the technical displays. In this video, I share what I learned about the Cybercab’s unboxed assembly process, plastic exterior, brake-by-wire system, interior design, thermal management, drive unit, crash testing, serviceable battery pack, AI hardware, and manufacturing line....

After Tesla's Q2 2025 earnings call, Elon Musk's comment that the new affordable model is "a Model Y" sent shockwaves through the community, leading to frustration and confusion. Many now believe Tesla's next big vehicle is just a cheaper, stripped-down trim of the current Model Y. In this video, I'll break down why I believe that's wrong. I'll argue that Tesla isn't just removing features from th...

In this video, I break down why I think I'll be able to use unsupervised FSD in my own Tesla in Austin before the year is over. - How Tesla's geofenced Robotaxi network is the key. - Creating hyper-realistic simulations of cities like Austin to rapidly train and validate FSD. - The logical steps from safety-monitored Robotaxis to unmanned Robotaxis, and finally, to unsupervised FSD for personal ve...

Lots of exciting things happening with Tesla this week. Here's what I cover in my video: 1. Elon Musk's America Party - Risk vs benefit. 2. Robotaxi Race: Waymo vs Tesla - Who will win? 3. Leadership Turnover - Bigger picture. 4. Model Y L for China - Why it's a great move and why I expect another smaller model. 5. xAI Investment - Should Tesla shareholders approve of a Tesla investment in xAI? 6....

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I address the idea of requiring Elon Musk spend a certain number of hours per week on Tesla. I also critique the idea of required the Tesla board to oversee Elon Musk's political activity. Elon has proven himself over and over to be one of the greatest innovators and value-creators of all time. Yet some people want the Tesla Board to micromanage his hours and police his outside activity. This woul...

I took my wife on three Tesla Robotaxi rides and two Waymo rides in Austin, Texas. I learned a lot from her reaction. Social 🐦 Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/heydave7 🎧 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dave-lee-on-investing/id1493031991 🎙️Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2iin015s0k21Bt4ldep9XT?si=uBV4Ft8hQEu_GE4YSIDDGg 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heydave7...

If you're interested in Tesla Robotaxi, Tesla AI or Tesla FSD, then you ought to know about James Douma. He's probably the one person who's done the deepest public dives on Tesla FSD and Tesla AI over the years. In fact, over the past 4 years I've published 40+ videos (!) with James Douma on Tesla AI/FSD (they are all on a playlist on my YouTube channel). I first discovered James Douma a long time...

I had the chance to spend the day taking Tesla Robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas with James Douma. We discuss our experiences riding Tesla's driverless cars and the Robotaxi service, possible expansion, Waymo and competition, and more. Social 🐦 Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/heydave7 🎧 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dave-lee-on-investing/id1493031991 🎙️Spotify https://ope...

I spend two days with Emmet Peppers in Austin, Texas as we take multiple rides in Tesla's new Robotaxi service. Social 🐦 Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/heydave7 🎧 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dave-lee-on-investing/id1493031991 🎙️Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2iin015s0k21Bt4ldep9XT?si=uBV4Ft8hQEu_GE4YSIDDGg 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heydave7 Dave L...

Day 3. Finished 5 Tesla Robotaxi rides, 4 Waymo rides, and 1 Uber ride. (See 39-minute edited video below.) Uber is in a tough situation. Classic innovators dilemma. Autonomous ride-hailing clearly is the future, but if Uber invites Waymo then that's working against their human drivers which will hurt Uber's recruiting ability (which they need to keep density especially in suburban areas). But if...

Here's my video from Day 2 of trying out the Tesla Robotaxi network in Austin, Texas. I took a total of 5 Tesla Robotaxi rides today and also 1 Waymo ride. Social 🐦 Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/heydave7 🎧 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dave-lee-on-investing/id1493031991 🎙️Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2iin015s0k21Bt4ldep9XT?si=uBV4Ft8hQEu_GE4YSIDDGg 📸 Instagr...

I took 5 rides in Tesla's new Robotaxi network in Austin, Texas today. Was very impressed! Social 🐦 Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/heydave7 🎧 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dave-lee-on-investing/id1493031991 🎙️Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2iin015s0k21Bt4ldep9XT?si=uBV4Ft8hQEu_GE4YSIDDGg 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heydave7 Dave Lee on Parenting, http...

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Tesla is doing something fascinating. They're using their auto business as a launching pad into two massive adjacent markets: AI transport and AI labor. Social 🐦 Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/heydave7 🎧 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dave-lee-on-investing/id1493031991 🎙️Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2iin015s0k21Bt4ldep9XT?si=uBV4Ft8hQEu_GE4YSIDDGg 📸 Instagram...

Tesla shareholders overwhelmingly re-approved Elon Musk's 2018 compensation plan and the company's incorporation in Texas at the annual shareholder meeting last week. The vote shows strong support for Musk's leadership and the company's long-term focus on Full Self-Driving (FSD) and the Optimus humanoid robot, despite short-term challenges, and opens the door for a new compensation plan that could...

AI has the potential to radically increase the value of certain companies by embedding human-level intelligence into products and services. Two key opportunities to profit from this: creating or reinventing products and services with AI, and investing in companies that are leaders in bringing AI-powered value to their offerings. However, investing in AI companies also carries risks, as the competi...

Some investors argue that Tesla's potential robotaxi service should not be included in valuation models because other companies will quickly catch up once Tesla solves unsupervised FSD. However, the ride-hailing market has strong winner-takes-most dynamics, and Tesla's significant lead in generalized autonomous driving technology would give them a major advantage in establishing a dominant robotax...