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On Friday, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) drew criticism from investor Ross Gerber after Elon Musk announced plans to wind down Cybertruck production.

Ross Gerber Calls Cybertruck Another Tesla Failure

Gerber, co-founder, president, and CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management, took to X to criticize Tesla following Musk’s announcement.

“Another failure for Tesla and Elon,” Gerber wrote, arguing that the company is struggling as an electric vehicle manufacturer and questioning whether its autonomous-driving ambitions can succeed.

He also took aim at Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology, saying it is “not even close to safe enough yet for Cybercab to scale.”

Gerber also questioned the potential profitability of Tesla’s robotaxi business, concluding bluntly: “Tesla is cooked.”

Another failure for tesla and Elon. Not surprising to end the cybertruck. Basically tesla is not an EV company and sells only one model. Yet FSD is not even close to safe enough yet for cybercab to scale and that businesses economics are not so good… tesla is cooked. $TSLA https://t.co/1eSmrByTBe

— Ross Gerber (@GerberKawasaki) November 6, 2026

Gary Black Flags Tesla’s Missed Pickup Opportunity

Investor Gary Black also criticized Tesla for missing an opportunity to develop a more conventional-looking electric pickup modeled after the refreshed Model Y.

He argued that such a vehicle could have helped Tesla tap into the global pickup market, which sells an estimated 6 million to 7 million units annually, without significantly cannibalizing its existing lineup.

“Such a missed opportunity,” Black wrote on X, arguing that Tesla’s failure to pursue the strategy reflects a broader lack of strategic marketing expertise.

He also referenced his June 2025 analysis, which estimated that Cybertruck deliveries for fiscal 2025 were on track to reach just around 20,000 units.

Such a missed opportunity. Many of us who have been product managers have argued for years that $TSLA needs a conventional-looking pickup with a front end that looks like Model Y and priced at parity with Model Y to capitalize on the fast growing pickup segment. The lack of… https://t.co/6RuaKvLbJp

— Gary Black (@garyblack00) November 6, 2026

Musk Shifts Focus From Cybertruck to Cybercab

Musk said that Tesla would wind down Cybertruck production at its Gigafactory Texas facility around mid-2027 to free up capacity for increased Cybercab manufacturing.

In a separate post, Musk shared an image of the astronaut dummy placed inside his personal Tesla Roadster, which was launched into space aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket during its 2018 test flight.

Cybertruck Sales Fall Short of Musk’s Ambitions

Unveiled in 2019, the Cybertruck was initially expected to enter production in 2021 but faced multiple delays before deliveries began in November 2023.

Musk had targeted annual production of 250,000 units. However, estimates suggest Tesla sold just 7,000 to 8,000 Cybertrucks in the third quarter of 2026, translating to an annualized pace of roughly 28,000 to 32,000 units.

Tesla has also halted Cybertruck sales in Australia and New Zealand, while critics have urged the company to consider a more conventional pickup design.

The vehicle faces competition from Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F), General Motors Co.’s (NYSE:GM) Chevrolet Silverado EV and Slate’s upcoming $25,000 electric pickup.

Price Action: Tesla shares closed at $358.22 on Friday, up 4.23%, according to Benzinga Pro.

According to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, Tesla ranks in the 45th percentile for Quality, with its price trends remaining negative across the short, medium and long term.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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