Elon Musk’s FSD push faces backlash from top Tesla skeptic

A prominent critic of Tesla has warned that the company’s latest push into autonomous driving may backfire, calling it Elon Musk’s biggest mistake of the year.

Gordon Johnson of GLJ Research argued in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter) that the wider rollout of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system is exposing critical flaws in the technology.

Johnson, who has long been bearish on Tesla, maintains that the company’s camera-only approach to autonomy — often described as “vision-only” — is fundamentally inadequate compared to systems that incorporate additional sensors such as LiDAR.

According to him, opening FSD to a broader user base risks undermining a key pillar of Tesla’s valuation: investor expectations that the company will eventually deliver fully autonomous driving at scale.

His comments come amid growing debate over the real-world performance of FSD. In recent weeks, reports and user feedback have raised concerns about the system’s safety, reliability, and overall effectiveness. One regulator has even suggested that the term “Full Self-Driving” may be misleading.

Criticism has also emerged from within Tesla’s own supporter base. Teslarati recently described the latest version of FSD as a disappointing release, citing issues such as incorrect lane positioning, navigation errors, and inconsistent driving behaviour.

However, not all feedback has been negative. Some users testing the system report smoother performance and ongoing improvements, highlighting the technology’s evolving nature.

Despite the controversy, FSD remains central to Tesla’s long-term strategy and a key driver of its stock narrative.

The promise of autonomous driving continues to underpin investor optimism, even as the company faces recent market pressure.

Tesla shares remain significantly higher year-over-year but are still well below their late-2025 highs, reflecting mixed sentiment around the company’s near-term outlook and future growth potential.