Venture capitalist Jason Calacanis predicts Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) will turn its Optimus humanoid robot into a product bigger than Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone, forecasting 1 billion Optimus robots worldwide by 2036.
Calacanis Says Optimus Could Eclipse iPhone
Speaking on the This Week in Startups podcast after watching the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Calacanis said he had recently seen an Optimus demonstration that has not been publicly shown.
"Optimus is going to be the greatest product ever made by humanity," Calacanis said. "It will sell and provide more value than the iPhone."
Calacanis argued Tesla’s hardware is roughly "one and a half generations" ahead of robots he watched compete in Beijing, while its "brain" is substantially more advanced. He predicted Optimus would win 35 of the competition’s 51 events.
