Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk slammed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani‘s plan to run city-owned grocery stores across the Big Apple’s five boroughs on Monday, reaffirming his prediction that robots and artificial intelligence (AI) will provide free goods and services.
Thief, Liar Zohran Mamdani
In a post on X, All-In Podcast host Jason Calacanis shared a video of Mamdani saying that NYC will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to select individuals/businesses to operate the city-owned grocery stores.
Read Also: Elon Musk's Net Worth Down Nearly $700 Billion Amid Tesla, SpaceX Merger Rumors
Calacanis said that the RFP selections would be based on the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Calacanis then said that the administration had no idea how to run a business. He also said that Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST) already had “Zero Profit Margin” groceries.
These folks have no idea how to run a business, have never run a business, and — wait for it — they put out an RFP to let entrepreneurs run their state sponsored grocery stores
— @jason (@Jason) August 3, 2026
So… the government is going to pay companies to discount groceries, which have a 1-2% profit margin…
Musk responded to Calacanis, slamming Mamdani’s plans. “What they’re doing won’t matter,” the billionaire said in his post. “AI & robots will actually deliver the free goods & services that those thieves pretend to offer,” the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO said, adding that the administration was “actually stealing from others.” He then called Mamdani a “thief and a liar.”
The New York City Mayor’s Office did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s Request for Comment.
What they’re doing won’t matter.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 3, 2026
AI & robots will actually deliver the free goods & services that those thieves pretend to offer, while actually stealing from others.
Mamdani is a thief and a liar, plain and simple.
Responding to a separate post by Calacanis, Musk accused Mamdani of wanting “a propaganda tool to undermine the free market” and that Mamdani did not care about “logic arguments.”
He wants a propaganda tool to undermine the free market and does not care about logic arguments
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 3, 2026
Elon Musk on Robots, AI
Musk has, on multiple occasions, touted AI and Robots as capable of delivering goods and services. Musk has said that productivity would surge, so much so that Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot and Space-based AI would outperform the Earth’s total productivity.
Read Also: Elon Musk Dismisses Report Tesla Could Sell Chinese Business for SpaceX Merger: 'Absurdly Fake News'
He has also said that the advent of AI and robots would enable a universal high income, saying that governments would step in and provide for people because AI productivity would increase to an extent that the Earth would “actually run out of things to do for the humans.” He has also said that money would not matter in the future due to the advancements in AI tech.
Critics Remain Skeptical
However, Musk has faced considerable criticism for his views. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The Vermont Independent recently asked Musk to back a wealth tax on the society’s richest members if he actually believed “money won’t matter” by 2036, referring to the billionaire’s comments from a recent interview.
Read Also: Rivian's CEO Is Taking On Elon Musk In Humanoid Robots
The comments illustrate Musk’s bullish sentiments on AI, as well as how Robotics is a crucial element of his vision. Tesla recently said that it had transitioned its Fremont, California, facility from producing the premium Model S and X vehicles to the Optimus robot. Tesla says it eventually targets producing 1 million units of the robot annually.
Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy, also said that there would be at least 40 production lines for the Optimus robot, owing to its complex nature. Meanwhile, Tesla’s rival BYD Co. Ltd. (OTC:BYDDY) (OTC:BYDDF) also recently unveiled its first humanoid robot set to debut later this month.
Read Also: SPCX Declines Over 50% From Post-IPO High: Charlie Bilello Warns of a 'Painful Reality Check'
Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
Photo courtesy: IAB Studio on Shutterstock.com
