Tesla Optimus robot faces hardware and supplier problems during scale-up

By Splitfeed EditorialLast updated Sep 26, 2026, 19:17 UTC

On September 25, 2026, The Information reported that Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot program has run into hardware problems specifically in its hands, alongside difficulties with suppliers, as the company begins scaling up production. The report, which was picked up across financial and market news outlets the same day, does not specify which suppliers are affected or the precise technical nature of the hand-related issues. A Korean outlet, mk.co.kr, covered the story through the lens of retail investor sentiment, referencing named public figures expressing regret over Tesla investments tied to Optimus expectations.

The timing matters because the scale-up phase is where ambitious robotics programs typically meet their hardest tests. Moving from prototype or limited-run production to higher volumes exposes weaknesses in component sourcing, manufacturing tolerances and hardware reliability that can be managed or hidden at smaller scales. Hands are among the most mechanically complex parts of a humanoid robot, involving numerous actuators, sensors and fine control requirements, so problems there are not trivial to resolve. Whether these are temporary engineering bottlenecks or signs of deeper design or supply chain fragility is the central question the report leaves open.

None of the three camps have published reactions to this story yet. The Pro-AI camp would typically argue that hardware snags during a scale-up are normal growing pains for any frontier technology and that Tesla's vertical integration gives it the tools to iterate quickly. The Anti-AI camp would be expected to treat this as evidence that timelines for capable, deployable humanoid robots remain consistently overpromised and underdelivered. The Middle Ground camp would likely focus on the supplier dimension as a systemic risk worth monitoring, while reserving judgment on whether the program can recover on its stated schedule.

The developments to watch are any updates from Tesla on revised production targets for Optimus, supplier announcements that could signal whether the sourcing problems are being resolved, and Tesla's next earnings call, where management would face direct pressure to address the scale-up status with specifics.