Prediction record

Misstech

Autonomous driving will be a solved problem and Teslas will drive themselves within a few years (by ~2018).

A scored record for Elon Musk, made on .

SpeechDirect quote, reputable outlettech

Scored record

Misstech

I view it as a solved problem. We know exactly what to do and we will be there in a few years.

Autonomous driving will be a solved problem and Teslas will drive themselves within a few years (by ~2018).

Made on
2015-03-17
Outcome
Miss
Importance
3 / 5
Contribution
-1.86

Criterion

Resolution status
resolved
Resolved on
2018-03-17

TRUE if by 2018-03-17 Tesla vehicles could drive themselves without human intervention (autonomous driving effectively solved/deployed); otherwise FALSE.

Criterion asks whether by 2018-03-17 Tesla vehicles could drive themselves without human intervention (autonomous driving effectively solved/deployed). FALSE. As of March 2018 Tesla shipped Enhanced Autopilot (Navigate on Autopilot / lane changes) but it was SAE Level 2 with mandatory driver supervision; autonomous driving was neither solved nor deployed. The Walter Huang fatal Autopilot crash occurred March 2018, underscoring that supervision was still required. No conflicting evidence found.

Sources

  • Elon Musk 10 Years Ago Called Autonomous Driving 'A Solved Problem'—Said 'We Will Be There In A Few Years'

    Yahoo Finance ·

    Source

  • Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang on self-driving cars

    Fortune ·

    Source

Outcome evidence

  • At an Nvidia conference on 2015-03-17 Musk said of autonomous driving: 'I view it as a solved problem. We know exactly what to do and we will be there in a few years.' By the ~2018 horizon this had not been achieved; Tesla remained a supervised Level 2 driver-assist system.

    Evidence

  • Tesla Autopilot/FSD has been SAE Level 2 from launch through 2018 and beyond — 'requires the driver to monitor the driving at all times and be prepared to take control at a moment's notice.' Tesla never delivered a system that drives without human supervision (Level 3/4/5); as of July 2026 full-autonomy goals 'are still to be met.' In April 2026 Musk stated HW3 cars lack unsupervised FSD capability.

    Evidence

Corrections

No public corrections.

Score contribution

-1.86
Confidence
90%
Outcome
Miss
Importance
3 / 5
Contribution
-1.86

This page displays the scored record as published; the website doesn't recompute or adjust the score.

Provenance

Autonomous driving will be a solved problem and Teslas will…
Methodology version
v1.0.0
Last computed
July 7, 2026
Made on
2015-03-17

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