Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots sparked controversy at the company’s recent “We Robot” event when reports confirmed the robots were partially teleoperated by human engineers rather than fully autonomous. The robots demonstrated impressive capabilities including dancing, pouring drinks, and interacting with attendees, but the revelation of remote control led some analysts and investors to criticize the display as “dishonest” and misleading.
However, Rev Lebaredian, Nvidia’s vice president of Omniverse and simulation, defended Tesla’s achievement, arguing that even teleoperated robots represent significant technological progress. “Even if it is teleoperated, teleoperating a robot with that kind of control requires really sophisticated AI,” Lebaredian told Business Insider. The 23-year Nvidia veteran emphasized that mapping human controls to real-world robot actions while interacting with people represents a “huge advancement” that shouldn’t be downplayed.
Both Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang are heavily invested in humanoid robotics as the next frontier for AI applications. Musk boldly claimed Optimus will be “the biggest product ever of any kind,” while Huang believes the humanoid form factor will enable the widest adoption since these robots could eventually function in any human-designed environment.
Lebaredian explained that the humanoid format offers significant advantages for data collection, as replications of human movement are more readily available than data for entirely new robot forms. Tesla currently pays dozens of employees up to $48 per hour to perform tasks in motion capture suits to train Optimus.
Musk has stated that two Optimus robots are already performing autonomous tasks on Tesla’s factory floor, though the recent demos raise questions about his ambitious timeline. In July, Musk projected Tesla would produce “genuinely useful humanoid robots” for its own factories by 2025 and begin external sales in 2026.
The robotics effort requires massive computing power, making Tesla a major Nvidia customer. Earlier this year, Musk built a 100,000 GPU supercomputer called Colossus for xAI in just weeks, earning praise from Huang. A successful Optimus program would demand similar computational resources. Lebaredian noted that if robots can be teleoperated effectively, “once you have a brain that’s autonomous, it can replace the human who’s doing those same controls.”
Key Quotes
I don’t know how much of it was teleoperated or not, but I have to say, even if it is teleoperated, teleoperating a robot with that kind of control requires really sophisticated AI.
Rev Lebaredian, Nvidia’s vice president of Omniverse and simulation, defended Tesla’s Optimus demonstration against criticism, emphasizing that remote control of humanoid robots still represents significant AI advancement.
Mapping your controls to the robot acting in the real world and interacting with others around — that’s a huge, huge advancement, and it’s not something that should be downplayed.
Lebaredian explained why even teleoperated robots demonstrate technological achievement, highlighting the complexity of translating human inputs into sophisticated robot movements and interactions.
If you can teleoperate a robot to behave like that, then you can also imagine, once you have a brain that’s autonomous, it can replace the human who’s doing those same controls.
The Nvidia executive outlined the pathway from teleoperation to full autonomy, suggesting that current remote-controlled capabilities lay the groundwork for future autonomous systems.
Optimus will be the biggest product ever of any kind.
Elon Musk made this bold claim at Tesla’s “We Robot” event, reflecting his ambitious vision for humanoid robotics despite questions about the current level of autonomy.
Our Take
This controversy reveals a fundamental challenge in AI development: balancing ambitious vision with transparent communication. Nvidia’s defense of Tesla is strategically sound—they’re both invested in the robotics ecosystem—but also technically valid. Teleoperation does require sophisticated AI for motion translation and real-time processing.
However, the criticism reflects legitimate concerns about AI washing, where companies overstate autonomous capabilities. The distinction between assisted and fully autonomous systems matters enormously for safety, liability, and commercial viability. Tesla’s pattern of optimistic timelines, combined with Musk’s promotional style, creates credibility challenges that could impact the entire humanoid robotics sector.
The computational infrastructure requirements Lebaredian mentions are crucial: successful robotics will require massive GPU clusters, positioning Nvidia as the essential enabler regardless of which company ultimately succeeds in commercializing humanoid robots.
Why This Matters
This story highlights the critical intersection of AI advancement and realistic expectations in the robotics industry. While Tesla faces criticism for potentially overstating Optimus’s autonomy, Nvidia’s defense underscores an important point: teleoperation itself requires sophisticated AI systems for motion mapping, real-time processing, and human-robot interaction.
The debate reflects broader tensions in the AI industry between hype and genuine progress. As companies race to develop humanoid robots, distinguishing between assisted and fully autonomous capabilities becomes crucial for investors, customers, and regulators. The humanoid robotics market represents Nvidia’s next major growth opportunity, with both hardware (GPUs) and software (Omniverse simulation platform) playing essential roles.
This development also signals the massive computational requirements for advanced robotics, reinforcing Nvidia’s position as the infrastructure provider for AI innovation. The timeline questions raised about Optimus’s 2026 commercial launch could impact Tesla’s valuation and the broader robotics industry’s credibility, making transparency about AI capabilities increasingly important for maintaining stakeholder trust.
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