Tesla Says It Could Build 1,000 Optimus Robots a Week by Year-End, but They Still Struggle With Unfamiliar Tasks
by Jerome London · Thought CatalogUpdated 2 minutes ago, September 28, 2026
Tesla says Optimus production could reach about 1,000 robots a week by the end of 2026. The robots can repeat jobs they’ve learned, but a simple assignment outside that training may take days to teach, and changes in the setting can produce unreliable responses.
Most Optimus rivals are starting in controlled workplaces. Figure, Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics and Apptronik are focused on factories and warehouses, while Agility CEO Peggy Johnson told TechCrunch in July 2026 that home humanoids are still “10-plus years” away.
1X Technologies is taking pre-orders for its home-oriented NEO, with Early Access ownership listed at $20,000 and a future subscription at $499 a month. 1X says owners can schedule an expert to help with chores NEO hasn’t learned, so buyers should check who can access its cameras and how household recordings are stored.
Tesla says its current capacity is in the hundreds of Optimus units, about 10 times its Q2 2026 level. Reaching 1,000 a week depends on that growth continuing despite supplier trouble, parts that don’t fit as intended and hands assembled from more than 100 components.
To reduce the need for repeated training, Tesla is reportedly breaking physical work into reusable skills and has gathered more than 500,000 hours of training data. Electrek, citing The Information, reports that most current units are being used internally for testing and data collection and that Tesla plans to lease early outside units to selected companies with similar factories and warehouses.
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