Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham said a new Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) left his wife Jessica stunned by its self-driving capabilities, calling her reaction the "usual religious revelation" and praising the 23-year-old automaker for still generating that level of excitement.
Graham Praises Tesla’s Self-Driving Wow Factor
"Jessica bought a new Tesla today. Her experience with self-driving was the usual religious revelation. Impressive that a 23 year old company can still generate that kind of reaction," Graham wrote in an X post on Thursday.
Tesla AI chief Ashok Elluswamy replied, "Please let it be in the US," where Tesla has built its largest market for Full Self-Driving, or FSD. The company still markets the technology as supervised driver assistance rather than fully autonomous driving.
Tesla’s FSD business has expanded quickly. The company ended the second quarter with about 1.5 million active subscriptions, up 56% from a year earlier, Reuters reported. Tesla disclosed 1.48 million subscriptions, up from 1.28 million in the first quarter.
FSD Growth Meets Rising Regulatory Scrutiny
CEO Elon Musk has said customers in markets where regulators allow FSD increasingly ask for the software first and the vehicle second. Musk recently stated that Tesla’s U.S. store employees hear customers asking for FSD on "whatever car it comes with," highlighting the carmaker’s effort to make software a bigger part of vehicle demand.
Despite the name, FSD requires active driver supervision. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration classifies systems that control steering and speed while requiring human oversight as Level 2 advanced driver assistance.
Regulators continue scrutinizing the technology. NHTSA in March upgraded an investigation covering about 3.2 million Teslas after examining FSD incidents in reduced-visibility conditions. The agency identified nine potentially related incidents, including one fatal crash and two injury crashes.
Global Rollout Tests Tesla’s Autonomy Ambitions
Tesla’s overseas rollout remains uneven. The Netherlands approved supervised FSD earlier this year, while wider European clearance remains under review and Tesla is also seeking approval in China.
Graham’s reaction highlights the contrast between regulatory caution and owner enthusiasm. Tesla is betting that such experiences can help convert more drivers into paying FSD subscribers as autonomy becomes central to its growth story.
Benzinga Edge Rankings show Tesla stock scores poorly on the Momentum and Value metrics, but provides satisfactory Growth and Quality.
Price Action: Tesla shares were up 0.70% to $321.77 during pre-market trading on Friday.
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