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In a laid-back podcast chat with Joe Rogan, Elon Musk tossed around the idea of Tesla making a mobile phone but quickly made it clear he has no plans to do so anytime soon. Musk said that, while Tesla’s tech foundation might give it an edge, the decision to jump into the phone market would only come if the big players—Apple or Google—started acting up.
It’s not something we want to do, unless… we have to.
“If you know, Apple and Google… started doing really bad things like censorship of apps or… just being like gatekeepers in a really bad way,” Musk explained, “then I guess we’d make a phone.” He added that Tesla’s current system already has the right foundations. “We could do a phone… we like the operating system in the Tesla. It’s Linux-based, but we’ve written a massive amount of software on top of that,” he noted, hinting that Tesla’s setup could, in theory, rival Android or iOS.
Musk was cautious about any quick moves, though. “It’s not something we want to do, unless… we have to,” he said, emphasizing that while Tesla has the capability, it’s not their focus. He added, “Probably Tesla is in a better position to create a new phone that’s not Android or iPhone than maybe any company in the world.” This hint stirred excitement, especially given Tesla’s experience in creating user-focused tech like its in-car interface.
As it stands, Musk isn’t interested in competing in the crowded phone market. Still, he sees Tesla’s potential if the industry dynamics change. “We’ve written so much on top of our Linux base, so if anyone could do a phone, Tesla probably could,” he said. But for now, unless Apple or Google cross the line, Tesla’s mobile plans will stay on the back burner.