Tesla FSD Tester Naively Admits Company Doesn't Want Unfavorable Footage Posted

We've seen the FSD Beta try to crack some nuts it previously had found way too strong, with the Seattle monorail posts quickly springing to mind. The advanced driver assistance system - or, depending on who you ask, the (full) self-driving system - notoriously ignored the thick concrete columns supporting the railed public transport system and attempted to ram into them on several occasions in its previous iteration.

With Musk promising the V10 would be "mind-blowing," you'd be excused to think it should have no problem with a situation that, although tricky, had been confronted with before. After all, the system is supposedly learning, isn't it?

Well, not only did it fail to navigate the area correctly - though it seems to have understood that colliding into those pillars won't end well - but during one of its passes, after failing to make a left-turn in-between the posts, the AI suddenly took an unexpected right-hand turn.

Not a big deal, right? Yes, the navigation showed the car was supposed to make a left-hand turn, but it wasn't the first time the car didn't follow the planned route, so no surprises there. What made this incident stand out was that as the car veered right, a few pedestrians were also trying to cross the street. The car showed absolutely no intention to stop, so the driver had to jump in. He slammed the brakes, turned back to the left, waved in apology to the pedestrians, and carried on.

Later, the footage was posted on YouTube for everyone to wonder at Tesla's magical ability to drive itself. However, it wasn't long before people spotted that incident, and when that close call with the pedestrians started to gain momentum, the video was mysteriously withdrawn from the World Wide Web.

Obviously, it didn't take long until the public started to suspect some nefarious practices on Tesla's part. They thought the company swooped in and asked Russell, the guy running the YouTube channel HyperChange where the footage had been posted, to remove it. There was no proof, of course, but it made sense. Either that or everyone was witnessing the greatest coincidence of all time.

Well, showing his naivety once again, Russell openly admits in another clip that Tesla doesn't want FSD Beta testers sharing any of the bad stuff. There is even some innocent reasoning behind it: it's because "people take it out of context." OK, let us paint you the context here.

Tesla is a company that doesn't advertise. Instead, it uses the media, as well as its owners, to spread the word. The fact it managed to get where it is like this tells you two things: one, Tesla products must be at least decent, and two, conventional advertising has lived its life.

However, the thing with paid advertising is that everything is (in theory, at least) perfectly transparent. A company has paid a certain sum of money for advertising space to have its product presented in a favorable light. The public is well aware of it and decides whether they want to believe what the ad is claiming or not.

The way Tesla chooses to do business isn't necessarily shadier, but it can be. If the people posting these videos decided that, out of their endless love for Tesla, they would only show footage where the FSD Beta did wonderfully, then nobody could hold it against them. They would still be presenting a twisted representation of reality, but they'd be doing it on their own account.

However, things are rarely this simple. Not only do most of these guys hold Tesla stock, so they have a direct financial interest for the company to do well, but it turns out they're not even acting on their own will. Here is the transcript of what Russell had to say on the matter: "Tesla doesn't want us sharing all of the clips or the videos - just, like, when it looks good - because they [Tesla] know people take it out of context. So, I'm kinda mad at myself for leaving that [the pedestrian incident] in the video."

Are you reading this? This guy is openly admitting (2:15 mark in the video below, if it stays up) that Tesla asked him to skew the public's perception of the company's product by misleadingly presenting only the "good bits" and sweeping everything else under the rug. Not only that, but it sounds like he’s even close to inflicting a bit of self-flagellation as punishment for letting Tesla down.

Are we naive for thinking this kind of corporate behavior is bad - if not evil - or is it genuinely cause for concern? And what does it tell you about the product itself? Does it fill you with confidence that the company making it feels the need to lie about its capabilities? Do you, for one minute, believe the "out of context" trope, or is this public/consumer manipulation 101 that shouldn't go unpunished?

We've seen what the chair of NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) thinks about Tesla's FSD Beta - what every other sane person should, “misleading and irresponsible” - so maybe some action is finally going to be taken against it.

Some people still don't seem to understand is why this beta-testing on public roads isn't kosher. It's OK to volunteer as a beta tester for hammer and turn all your fingers into mush because it's a bad or unfinished product. You opted in, so it's your problem and your problem alone. However, if you take said unproven hammer and run around hitting other people's nails without asking them first, then it's not OK. And that's what every Tesla driver willing to switch FSD on should do: ask everyone they share the streets with if they're OK with it. Impossible? Well, then don't do it.