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Tesla Is "Overhyped," Autopilot "Dangerous," Says Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak

First of all, we do realize the paradox we find ourselves in right now. On the one hand, we're quoting the Woz complaining about how Elon Musk and Tesla get way too much media attention, but on the other, we ARE the media and here we are speaking about Elon Musk and Tesla.
Steve Wozniak and his wife 1 photo
Photo: Steve Wozniak
What can you do? It's one of those hot subjects you just can't stay away from. Maybe we will eventually become oversaturated and will just glide over anything that has "Tesla" or "Elon Musk" in the title, but that moment doesn't seem to have come yet.

However, Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of another very popular (that some might even call "overhyped") tech company that goes by the name of Apple, has had enough. He said there is "way too much hype" around Tesla, and while he might be right, there's a simple explanation for it.

Despite all the concepts and the constant new models, the automotive industry is a pretty dull place. Its dynamics are very slow and it usually takes years, maybe even decades, for something important to change. Since the arrival of Tesla, there's no denying things have been spiced up a little.

Not all that spice was to everyone's taste, though. Speaking to CNBC, the Woz had more unflattering words about Musk's company. "And if [Tesla says] something is going to happen, don't quite count on it," he commented. What was he talking about?

Well, mostly the autonomous driving features of the Palo Alto-made EVs which he (and others) thinks are "overblown." He said: "Tesla has in people's mind that they have cars that will just drive themselves totally, and it is so far from the truth, so they have deceived us."

As the owner of two Model S sedans, one of which was acquired at the start this year, Wozniak can't be too upset with Tesla, though. "Tesla has done something that is so important to me," he said. "I mean transitioning from gas-driven cars to electric cars for a future, it is part of our cleanliness formula."

In other words, the Woz thinks Tesla is just a very good EV-maker that managed to tilt the entire industry its way, but is nowhere near the leader in autonomous technology it implies. "In a lot of ways, Tesla is behind companies like Volvo and Audi [regarding self-driving technology]" Wozniak said.

Judging by the current state of Autopilot, the Apple co-founder is absolutely correct. Ever since the Mobileye split-up, Tesla has been playing catch-up not with the rest of the industry, but in so many ways with its own previous product. The task proved a lot harder than anticipated, but Elon Musk still hasn't backed from the promised all-autonomous coast-to-coast trip by the end of the year. On the other hand, remember what Woz said: "And if [Tesla says] something is going to happen, don't quite count on it."
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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