Gary Black Warns Tesla Could Squander Its Autonomy Lead Like It Did With EVs, Calls for $100 Million Cybercab Marketing Spend — ‘The Goal of Advertising Is to…’
Shomik Sen Bhattacharjee
Thu, September 10, 2026 at 4:30 AM GMT+3 6 min read
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
Tesla Inc. investor Gary Black said the company risks repeating a costly EV-era mistake by relying on technology to sell itself, warning the same approach could squander Tesla's first-mover advantage in unsupervised autonomy and Cybercab.
Tesla Risks Repeating Its EV Marketing Mistake
"$TSLA has no one but itself to blame for squandering first movers' advantage in EVs from 2020-2023," The Future Fund managing partner wrote Sunday on X. He said Tesla could "squander their first movers' advantage in unsupervised autonomy in 2026-2027 as well" if it follows the same playbook.
$TSLA has no one but itself to blame for squandering first movers' advantage in EVs from 2020-2023 and if they use the same play book of allowing the product to speak for itself will squander their first movers' advantage in unsupervised autonomy in 2026-2027 as well.
The… pic.twitter.com/u0RhNjwozB
— Gary Black (@garyblack00) September 6, 2026
Don't Miss:
-
Still Learning the Market? These 50 Must-Know Terms Can Help You Catch Up Fast
Black urged Tesla to spend roughly $100 million advertising Cybercab and unsupervised autonomy to consumers who do not already follow the brand. He said marketing should highlight "time saved, drives while you're tired, safer than human driving, aesthetics," arguing that a limited campaign could cement Tesla's autonomous lead before rivals copy the technology.
"TSLA allowing its technology to speak for itself is a short-term engineering mindset," Black said. "The goal of advertising is to convey the benefits of an innovation to new consumers who wouldn't ordinarily consider Tesla."
Black Says Advertising Must Reach New Buyers
That criticism echoes earlier warnings. In May 2025, Black said Tesla should educate non-EV owners about convenience, lower costs, performance and technology, calling marketing its "Achilles heel." In March, amid surging oil prices, he again complained, "Unfortunately, there is no advertising from TSLA educating potential consumers on the benefits of EVs."
He added that outside Tesla's devoted X audience, "nobody has a clue how great this technology is." Black made that argument as higher fuel costs created what he viewed as an opportunity for Tesla.
See Also: Avoid the #1 Investing Mistake: How Your 'Safe' Holdings Could Be Costing You Big Time
Tesla has since pushed deeper into autonomy. The company said in July that Cybercab production had started and unsupervised rides had expanded in Austin, Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Reuters reported this month that Tesla had 420 autonomous vehicles registered in Texas, including 45 Cybercabs. Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo and Amazon.com's Zoox, meanwhile, continue expanding robotaxi operations across more U.S. cities.
Black has also argued that Tesla's discount-heavy communications miss the bigger opportunity of explaining why consumers should choose its products.
Valuation Pressure Raises Stakes For Autonomy
He tied the marketing problem to valuation. "The market's not stupid," Black wrote, arguing Tesla's roughly 200-times forward P/E requires "better than 35%-40% long-term EPS growth" to justify the multiple.
"Absent this level of growth," he warned, "TSLA stock is likely to continue to underperform."
Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate that Tesla stock offers a negative price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
Read Next:
-
Skip the Regrets: The Essential Retirement Tips Experts Wish Everyone Knew Earlier.
-
Think you're saving enough for your kids? You might be dangerously off — see why
Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market
Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That's why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn't tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.
Arrived
Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.
Skybound Entertainment
Entertainment franchises can become valuable long-term assets when they successfully expand across multiple platforms. Skybound Entertainment, the company behind The Walking Dead and Invincible, develops original intellectual property that spans comics, television, film, video games, merchandise, and licensing. With more than 250 IPs in its portfolio and a strategy focused on retaining franchise rights while scaling successful stories across media, Skybound offers investors exposure to the growing entertainment and creator economy through a private company rather than traditional public market investments.
Green Coffee Company
Coffee is a daily staple for millions of consumers, but investors rarely get direct exposure to the brands and supply chains behind it. Green Coffee Company offers a way to participate in the growth of the coffee market through its exclusive U.S. and Canadian distribution rights for Colombian brand Juan Valdez. With the brand expanding across major retailers including Target, Walgreens and Kroger, and GCC reporting 26X revenue growth over four years, the company is positioning itself to bring a well-known Colombian coffee brand to more consumers across North America.
American PowerGen
As artificial intelligence drives a surge in electricity demand, reliable power generation is becoming a critical part of the technology ecosystem. American PowerGen is developing natural gas-fired power plants in Texas, a fast-growing market fueled by AI data centers, manufacturing expansion, and population growth. By advancing projects through permitting, fuel supply, and grid interconnection, the company is positioning itself to help meet rising energy needs while offering investors exposure to the infrastructure supporting the next wave of AI and industrial growth.
Qnetic
As electricity demand rises alongside AI, data centers, and renewable energy, long-duration energy storage is becoming increasingly important. Qnetic is developing a kinetic energy storage system designed to provide long-lasting, chemical-free electricity storage, offering investors exposure to the infrastructure supporting a more resilient and reliable power grid.
EquityMultiple
For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.
FarmTogether
Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.
Fundrise
Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.
© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Yorumlar (0)
Giriş yaparak yorum yazabilirsin.
İlk yorumu sen yaz.