Tesla to Have Humanoid Robots for Internal Use Next Year, Musk Says

A Tesla sign is seen on the Shanghai Gigafactory of the US electric car maker before a delivery ceremony in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. Reuters
A Tesla sign is seen on the Shanghai Gigafactory of the US electric car maker before a delivery ceremony in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. Reuters
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Tesla to Have Humanoid Robots for Internal Use Next Year, Musk Says

A Tesla sign is seen on the Shanghai Gigafactory of the US electric car maker before a delivery ceremony in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. Reuters
A Tesla sign is seen on the Shanghai Gigafactory of the US electric car maker before a delivery ceremony in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. Reuters

Tesla will have humanoid robots in low production for the company's internal use next year, CEO Elon Musk said on Monday, months after he announced that the rollout would be by the end of 2024.
The company will have the robots in high production for other companies' use "hopefully" in 2026, Musk said in a post on social media platform X.
Musk had said in April that the Tesla robot, called Optimus, would be able to perform tasks in the factory by the end of this year and could be ready for sale as soon as the end of 2025, Reuters reported.
Humanoid robots have been in development for several years by Japan's Honda and Hyundai Motor's Boston Dynamics. Several companies are betting on them to meet potential labor shortages and perform repetitive tasks that could be dangerous or tedious in industries such as logistics, warehousing and manufacturing.
Musk has a history of failing to fulfill bold promises to Wall Street. In 2019, he told investors that Tesla would be operating a network of "robotaxi" autonomous cars by 2020.
Tesla put out the first generation of its Optimus robot, dubbed Bumblebee, in September 2022. This year, the company posted a video of a second generation of the bipedal robot folding a T-shirt at the firm's facility.



Walt Disney Tasks Morgan Stanley's Gorman to Lead CEO Search

A screen shows the logo and a ticker symbol for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A screen shows the logo and a ticker symbol for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Walt Disney Tasks Morgan Stanley's Gorman to Lead CEO Search

A screen shows the logo and a ticker symbol for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A screen shows the logo and a ticker symbol for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Walt Disney on Wednesday named board member and Morgan Stanley executive chairman James Gorman to chair its succession planning committee, which is looking for a replacement to longtime CEO Bob Iger.

Disney won a months-long proxy war earlier this year with activist investor Nelson Peltz who argued the company had underperformed in the streaming-television era and criticized its succession planning.

The board has extended Iger's retirement date five times, including pulling him back from an initial retirement in 2022 to replace his hand-picked successor Bob Chapek, Reuters reported.

Last year, Iger, who was the CEO from 2005 to 2020 before his 2022 reappointment, said he would extend his stay through 2026 and "definitely" step down when his contract ends.

Gorman joined as a Disney director this year and oversaw the recent succession process at Morgan Stanley. He was its CEO from 2010 to 2023 and will be ceding his role as executive chairman at Disney in December.

"Succession planning is a top priority of the Board," Disney Chairman Mark Parker said. The company said it was reviewing internal and external candidates for the CEO position.

The company also said Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors and Calvin McDonald, CEO of Lululemon Athletica will continue to serve on the succession planning committee, which has met six times so far in fiscal 2024.

In addition, the board has discussed the search for the next CEO at all of its regularly scheduled meetings this year, Disney said.