Automakers are rejecting Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology, despite years of offers from CEO Elon Musk, opting instead for rival autonomous solutions like Waymo due to differing development philosophies.
Elon Musk recently confirmed that discussions with other automakers about licensing FSD have become stagnant. He described the situation as “crazy,” noting that legacy carmakers only discuss “tiny program[s] in five years with unworkable requirements.”
I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it! Crazy …
When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in 5 years with unworkable requirements for Tesla, so pointless. 🤷♂️
🦕 🦕— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2025
This stance follows Ford CEO Jim Farley’s public rejection of Tesla’s system. Farley indicated that Waymo’s approach made more sense for Ford.
The “unworkable requirements” Musk mentioned likely stem from the traditional auto industry’s demand for fully validated autonomous driving systems. These systems must meet stringent requirements and pass extensive tests before public release.
Tesla, conversely, employs an “aggressive implementation” strategy. Its FSD software, often released in a “Supervised” beta version, is validated on public roads by its customers.
This customer-driven validation model has led to numerous investigations and lawsuits for the company.
Meanwhile, several major automakers are forging partnerships with Waymo. Toyota, for example, has aligned with Waymo to integrate its autonomous driving technology into consumer vehicles.
Musk has long expressed Tesla’s willingness to share its technology. In June 2023, he tweeted that Tesla was “happy to license Autopilot/FSD or other Tesla technology.”
Tesla aspires to be as helpful as possible to other car companies.
We made all our patents freely available several years ago.
Now, we are enabling other companies to use our Supercharger network.
Also happy to license Autopilot/FSD or other Tesla technology.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2023
His overtures began as early as January 2021, when he first mentioned “preliminary discussions” with other manufacturers about licensing the software during an earnings call.
In April 2024, he again claimed Tesla was “in negotiations with a major automaker,” stating there was a “good probability” of a deal that year. These talks, reportedly with Ford, did not materialize.