Tesla Q1 Earnings: What Investors Want vs. What We Actually Care About

Not All Investor Questions Are Created Equal

The Say Technologies rankings are in. The most-voted questions from Tesla shareholders for the Q1 2025 call are a tidy little snapshot of mainstream concern—stuff like FSD rollout timing, affordable models, and brand perception. Fine. Understandable. But if you've been hanging out with us at Rebellionaire, you know we’ve got a very different wishlist.

Let’s compare what they’re asking versus what we actually want to know.

Full Self-Driving (FSD):

Investor question: “When will unsupervised FSD be available on personal cars?”

Our angle: Forget the vague timelines. We want specifics:

• How many cars are going live in Austin?

• Is this just for employees, or is there an actual public rollout strategy?

• How quickly can they scale to Dallas and Houston?

• What does that scale even look like in terms of units?

We’re not asking because we want a ride. We’re asking because we want to model it. Wall Street needs to wrap their heads around revenue impact, fleet size, and rollout cadence. Musk’s usual hand-wavy “soon” doesn’t cut it anymore​.

Affordable Models:

Investor question: “Are the affordable models still coming in 2025?”

Our angle: Sure, everyone wants cheaper Teslas. But is Tesla actually launching a new model, or are they just stripping down existing ones? Like, great—we’ve got a Cybertruck with cloth seats now. That’s not game-changing.

The real question is: Will Tesla release a compact car that actually expands its addressable market? If not, this smells more like a repackaging exercise than a strategic breakthrough​.

Tariffs and Global Risk:

Investor question: “How is Tesla dealing with geopolitical risk and tariffs?”

Our angle: Absolutely fair question—but we want to go deeper.

Let’s talk LFP batteries. Tesla bought LFP production equipment from CATL. Is it online yet? Are we producing domestic LFPs for Megapacks in Nevada? Why hasn’t Tesla told that story? And what about rare earths? If China pulls the plug on exports, what happens to Tesla’s supply chain? How much stock do they have built up? Give us visibility or at least tone-setting confidence​.

Brand Damage from Elon’s Political Activities:

Investor question: “Has demand dropped due to Musk’s political statements?”

Our angle: Look, we don’t love this storyline, but it is the elephant in the room. Elon’s involvement in the DOGE office (Department of Government Efficiency) and the general firestorm of his X presence… yeah, it might rattle some buyers.

Still, the real focus should be: are these just short-term headlines or is this a sustained dip in order inflow? Tesla should be honest—has Model Y demand softened in the U.S.? Or are incentives like 0% APR making up the gap?

4680 Battery Scaling:

Investor question: “Are battery constraints still a problem?”

Our angle: The real question here is: Are 4680s finally real, or is this more ‘Elon Time’?

Tesla’s head of 4680s recently claimed scaling is underway. Elon says costs are down. But where are these cells going? Just Cybertruck? Any Model Ys again? What about Megapacks? We’ve been waiting over four years since Battery Day. If they’ve really cracked it, they need to show—not tell—how it changes the economics across the product lineup​.

Cybercab & Robotaxi Network:

Investor question: “How will Tesla roll out the Cybercab?”

Our angle: You already know we’re obsessed. But vague hype doesn’t help.

We want clarity on:

• Will this start as a company-owned fleet, or is personal vehicle participation on the table?

• Will cities throttle deployments?

• Are subscription models part of the plan?

• Is this a real revenue engine or a science project?

This could be the most valuable business Tesla’s ever launched. Or it could be delayed into irrelevance. Either way, transparency is everything​.

Optimus:

Investor question: “When will Optimus be sold, and at what price?”

Our angle: Let’s zoom in.

Are we seeing Gen 2 this year—or is a stealth Gen 3 already in the works? Will the WE Robot hand design make it into production? Is Optimus just walking around factories or doing anything meaningful?

We don’t need exact pricing. We need a believable timeline and a credible use case.

Grok, Tesla Semi, FSD Licensing…

Honestly? These feel like side quests right now.

Grok integration into vehicles might be cool for in-car voice control. But unless it can drive the car or upsell services, it's not moving the needle. Semi? Talk to us when you're producing thousands per quarter. And FSD licensing? Great idea—if FSD is actually ready for prime time. Otherwise, it’s just a PowerPoint slide.

Final Thought

Most shareholders are just looking for reassurance. We’re looking for leverage—data, details, and direction. Q1 may be weak, but this call could set the tone for Tesla’s next era.

Give us clarity, not PR. Show us the levers. And maybe, just maybe… we'll say you were right, Elon.