Just days after the first Cybercab was spotted on public roads in Austin, and less than a week after the first empty Model Y Robotaxi was caught on camera, Tesla has offered an official — albeit informal - look inside the experience of a fully autonomous Robotaxi.
Phil Duan, a Principal Software Engineer at Tesla AI, posted a video of himself riding in the back seat of a Model Y Robotaxi in Austin. Tesla AI engineer Dzuy Cao then replied to Duan’s post with a video of himself riding in the autonomous robotaxi, with a cat also enjoying the ride (video below).
The most important bit was that the front seats were completely empty, confirming that the vehicle was operating autonomously with no safety monitor behind the wheel.
Safety Meownitor also along for the ride pic.twitter.com/AWqXweaEae
— Dzuy Cao (@Aiyeeeeeeee) December 21, 2025
A Vote of Confidence
While we’ve seen those videos of empty Model Ys in Austin navigating the streets recently, a video from a senior member of the AI team carries different weight - especially from the inside. It serves as a seal of approval from Tesla’s AI team that they’re confident that the driverless pilot isn’t still in testing, but robust enough for Tesla’s own engineers to ride in casually.
Duan, who plays a key role in the development of FSD, offered a glimpse of the relaxing, quiet, and smooth experience that Robotaxi riders will soon be able to expect. A comfortable vehicle, quietly taking corners and moving smoothly through complex urban environments.
End Of Year Push
This sighting is the final piece of the puzzle for Elon’s aggressive 2025 timeline to push Robotaxi and FSD as fast as possible. Earlier this year, Elon stated, and then doubled down at the start of December, that Tesla would have Unsupervised Robotaxis operating in Austin by the end of 2025.
The execution has been tight, with the first empty Model Y on the roads on the 14th of December, and now, 7 days later, the AI team is sharing video of the experience.
Alongside that, Tesla is working on validating the next piece of the autonomy puzzle behind the Robotaxi Network - the Cybercab. A prototype Cybercab was spotted just a few days ago on the streets of Austin, with a safety monitor or engineer behind the temporary wheel, likely conducting engineering validation.
With only days left in the year, Tesla appears to have met the deadline for unsupervised operation, even if it remains limited to employees and internal testers for now, though there is always a chance they could open it up to the public before the 31st.
Looking Forward to 2026
The rapid cadence of these sightings - from empty cars to Cybercab mules to engineer ride-alongs - suggests that Tesla is ramping up. As we enter 2026, the focus will likely shift from whether it can drive safely without a human to how fast Tesla can scale the Robotaxi service.
