Elon Musk’s announcement that Tesla will soon stop selling its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, leaving consumers with monthly fees as their only option, has inspired mixed reactions online and more questions about tech giants’ shift towards subscription-based services.
Musk, Tesla’s CEO, shared the news on Wednesday on X. FSD will no longer be available for outright purchase starting February 14, after which the software will “only be available as a monthly subscription.”
For Musk, the move signals an end to his longtime portrayal of FSD as an “appreciating asset,” worth buying outright now because the price will only rise as the software improves. And for Tesla, the change represents the latest decision by a tech giant to move towards a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, in which a provider continues to host its software—handling updates, security, and maintenance—while renting it to users. But for the Tesla-curious and those who already own one of Musk’s cars, the move was a reminder of how difficult it has become to truly own things in today’s economy.
“Imagine buying a self-driving car and still having to pay a monthly subscription just for it to actually drive itself,” one user wrote in a reply to Musk’s announcement.
