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TechCrunch Mobility: The Cybertruck experiment is over
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Almost seven years ago, while clutching a laptop, my phone, and a notebook in a sea of Tesla fans, I watched head designer Franz von Holzhausen throw a metal, baseball-sized ball at the driver’s-side window of the Cybertruck. The result was cracked glass — actually, two by the end of the presentation — and some awkward jokes and chuckling by CEO Elon Musk.
I have witnessed a number of stunning, odd, and fantastical moments at Tesla events. But the Cybertruck reveal was the most interesting — and not because of the postapocalyptic design. It was the crowd.
When the truck rolled out onto the stage, I watched attendees gasp, some in revulsion. There was mumbling (“This certainly can’t be the Cybertruck?” I heard Tesla superfans whisper). And yes, there were cheers. The momentary shock of Musk’s biggest fans was quickly replaced by support, acceptance, and finally, endorsement.
It moved like a wave over the crowd. By the time attendees were waiting in line for Cybertruck rides, the mood had shifted. Everyone was a fan.
That fandom carried over to Cybertruck reservations, which skyrocketed to 1 million, Musk said during a third-quarter earnings call in 2023. But it never made the leap to actual sales. Industry experts estimate about 71,000 Cybertrucks have been sold since the first deliveries began in November 2023.
And now the Cybertruck is headed to the scrap pile. Tesla will stop making the Cybertruck next year, Musk said Friday.
Was the vehicle too edgy? Maybe, but this was always going to be a niche market. I believe more practical reasons dampened sales. Musk promised the Cybertruck would have a 500-mile range and a price tag under $40,000. It achieved neither, senior reporter Sean O’Kane noted in his report.
Zipline has had quite the week. Strike that — quite the year. The autonomous drone delivery startup, which was founded in 2014, has steadily scaled over the past few years. But 2026 has taken the company to new heights.
In early 2026, Zipline raised $600 million and quickly added another $200 million to that Series H round. The company planned to use these funds to accelerate its expansion to at least four U.S. cities in 2026.