Elon Musk’s leadership is often encompassed by a confident approach towards welcoming new technologies in the most astonishing ways possible. Now, it appears that Tesla is manifesting the same on the global platform. And their social media handles are no exception.
Before the end of 2025, it appears the automobile brand wanted to drop a thought-provoking idea before stepping into the new year. Tesla posted an image of an older model of a landline phone, with a unique reference to self-driving cars.
The post, albeit witty, is a bold statement on the future of automobiles. Being led by an entrepreneur who is determined that AI and robotics are the primary solution to end poverty and boost global economies, Tesla’s manner of promoting self-driving cars on social media has caught the interest of netizens of many reasons.
Tesla posts an intriguing critique of self-driving cars
On December 25, Tesla took to their X account to post a photograph of a handheld landline phone with an extended antenna. The caption of the post read, “Cars that can’t drive themselves.” Gaining over 1 million views, the post seemingly criticized the idea of not switching to self-driving vehicles that automobile brands like Tesla and Waymo have been aggressively marketing in recent years.
Cars that can’t drive themselves pic.twitter.com/XWKuJkrxkm
— Tesla (@Tesla) December 24, 2025
A recent Bloomberg article reflected on the promises self-driving cars were meant to deliver. It read, “If anything, 2025 seemed like the year the industry moved from testing its technology to experimenting with its business model.”
With dynamic pricing and driver integration, the article opined that Tesla and Waymo should focus more on developing a sustainable model that offers an optimal solution to ride-sharing features offered by Uber and Lyft globally.
Additionally, a major challenge that lies ahead for self-driving car manufacturers is the ability to identify the ways they can expand their user base. As the article infers, “Until the autonomous taxi companies figure out that kind of dynamic supply, they’ll probably continue to lose money—even if you can look down the street and see a line of cars without drivers that herald our inevitable future.”
Related: Elon Musk Reiterates His Idea of AI Robotics Resolving Poverty in Latest Post
Netizens wonder about the relevance of self-driving cars
Many users flocked to Tesla’s recent X post on Christmas. The fundamental point of the post was to promote self-driving cars as the harbinger of innovation in the automobile industry, and several users strongly supported this view. Some users showered praise on the company as well as the CEO, Elon Musk, for their farsightedness in terms of resolving challenges that customers experience while hailing cabs or sharing rides with other passengers.
Not EV and not AV: pic.twitter.com/UrILcjPsYS
— Peter de Vietien (@peterdevietien) December 24, 2025
However, a few viewers still expressed their faith in hand-driven technologies when it came to automobiles. One user in particular commented on how manually driven vehicles would still retain relevance in the market.
Manual vibes never die
— Eric (@Ericweb33) December 25, 2025
Although self-driving cars have become one of the biggest talking points in 2025, it is tough for the likes of Tesla and Waymo to build a niche in the automotive industry. Driverless vehicles are yet to overcome the technological challenges they continue to face, while automobile companies that endeavor to integrate AI in car systems attempt to test its boundaries at every turn.
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