‘Where Are The Cybercabs?’ Tesla Investor Ross Gerber Takes Aim at Elon Musk as Amazon’s Zoox Eyes Expansion With Santa Monica Deal for 150 Robotaxis

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) investor Ross Gerber questioned Elon Musk’s Cybercab rollout as Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)-owned Zoox moved closer to securing Santa Monica parking facilities for 150 robotaxis, highlighting growing competition in autonomous transportation.

Santa Monica Eyes Major Zoox Parking Agreement

"Zoox is coming to Santa Monica with 150 robo taxis very soon. They cut a deal with the City to stage the cars at the library. Where are the cybercabs… $AMZN $TSLA," Gerber wrote in an X post on Monday.

Zoox is coming to Santa Monica with 150 robo taxis very soon. They cut a deal with the City to stage the cars at the library. Where are the cybercabs… $AMZN $TSLA

— Ross Gerber (@GerberKawasaki) October 26, 2026

Santa Monica’s City Council voted unanimously on October 13 to authorize negotiations allowing Zoox to store and stage up to 150 vehicles in city-owned parking facilities, including the Main Library’s underused garage.

City Manager Oliver Chi said the proposed agreement could generate at least $500,000 annually through parking payments. The arrangement could operate as a yearlong pilot, although officials have not finalized the agreement or announced when vehicles will arrive.

Zoox plans a broader Los Angeles-area expansion, but the parking proposal does not authorize passenger service in Santa Monica. The company currently offers public rides in Las Vegas and limited service in San Francisco.

Gerber Questions Tesla’s Cybercab Deployment Pace

Gerber previously praised Cybercab’s design, calling it more attractive than rival robotaxis while expressing hope that Tesla could scale production.

Tesla disclosed that it launched paid Cybercab rides in Austin on September 3. Its third-quarter report showed an eightfold increase in cumulative unsupervised robotaxi miles to nearly 2 million cumulative unsupervised Robotaxi miles by the end of September.

During Tesla’s October 21 Q3 earnings call, AI chief Ashok Elluswamy confirmed plans to expand Cybercab operations to Dallas in November. Engineering executive Lars Moravy said Tesla aims to begin customer deliveries before year-end.

Regulatory Scrutiny Shapes The Robotaxi Race

Federal regulators began reviewing Tesla’s certification of Cybercabs without steering wheels or pedals in September. Meanwhile, Zoox secured federal approval in July to charge passengers for rides in vehicles without traditional driving controls.

The developments follow earlier investor concerns about Tesla’s autonomous-driving competition, as both companies navigate regulatory requirements while expanding their robotaxi networks.

Price Action: Tesla shares were up 0.41% at $ 393.21 during after-hours trading on Monday.

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