Tesla's Robotaxi Gamble: The $2 Trillion Dream Hits Austin Streets

Well, folks, it finally happened. After years of "next year" promises and enough hype to power a small city, Tesla's robotaxis are actually cruising the streets of Austin. Sort of.

If you woke up this Sunday morning in Texas's capital and spotted a black Model Y with "Robotaxi" graffiti rolling through downtown with nobody behind the wheel, you weren't hallucinating from last night's BBQ. You were witnessing what Elon Musk calls the "culmination of a decade of hard work" -- though cynics might call it the world's most expensive game of catch-up.