Last week Elon Musk unveiled Tesla’s much-anticipated prototype of its first humanoid robot, Optimus. Taking the stage at the brand’s yearly jamboree, the steely skeleton juddered around for a bit, then broke into a dance move which demonstrated as much rhythm as Theresa May. Motor skills aside, it’s an impressive start - prompting some to speculate Optimus will change the world, signalling a new era for robotics.
The Tesla prototype shows that big tech companies are staring down a big problem. The booming business models responsible for their dominance in the 2010s won’t keep them at the top for another decade. Tesla, as well as Meta, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet, (MAAMA makes a pleasing acronym), are all casting about wildly for the next big thing. Those that don’t make successful inroads can look forward to the same fate as Compaq.
