Tesla Stock Drops After OpenAI Launches Robotics Unit to Challenge Optimus (TSLA)

Tesla Inc. (TSLA) shares fell on June 1, 2026, after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced a new robotics division, OpenAI Robotics, directly challenging Tesla’s yet-to-launch Optimus humanoid robot. Altman revealed the venture on X over the weekend of May 31, detailing plans to build hardware and machine learning systems for humanoid robots, initially targeting infrastructure labor before scaling to personal robots. The move intensifies a rivalry between Altman and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, following their legal feud over OpenAI’s direction. The competitive threat surfaces as Tesla prepares to convert its Fremont, California, factory’s retired Model S and Model X line into a dedicated Optimus assembly cell, aiming for an annual capacity of one million units. Conversion is scheduled for completion in late July or August 2026, aligning with the delayed Gen 3 Optimus reveal. A few Gen 3 units currently handle repetitive tasks at Tesla’s Texas and Fremont facilities. Separately, SpaceX’s upcoming mid-June Nasdaq IPO under ticker SPCX targets a valuation up to $2 trillion, while Musk has discussed a potential merger of the two companies, which are already jointly building a Texas chip plant.