By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The potential future of Tesla’s Cybercab and robotaxi services align an ongoing industry trend of advertising “autonomous,” AI-powered products that are often overseen by human gig workers. General Motors’ Cruise robotaxi company, for example, currently subs in remote employees to help steer vehicles out of difficult-to-compute situations. Similar approaches are also rumored to be in place for competitors like Zoox and Waymo. Meanwhile, autonomous vehicle programs, particularly Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” Mode, have faced increasing industry criticism and regulatory investigations over their potential hazards posed to both passengers, other drivers, and pedestrians. News that human workers will frequently handle robotaxi and Optimus operations follows a similar pattern for the company. Tesla’s first “reveal” of its humanoid robot in 2021 involved a person wearing an Optimus costume. Last month, the company’s “We, Robot” event on the Warner Bros. Discovery studio included actual robots crafting cocktails for guests—but it didn’t take long before it was revealed the supposedly autonomous machines were actually remotely piloted by humans. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly promised the impending debut of his company’s robotaxi fleet on public roads, and currently estimates Cybercab services to arrive by the end of 2026. Any interested applicants will work out of Tesla’s Palo Alto offices, and can expect a salary somewhere between $120,000 and $318,000, “cash and stock awards,” as well as benefits.