Tesla profit drops 43% as Musk touts Optimus robot

Tesla's third-quarter net profit fell 43% year-over-year to $787 million, driven by higher development costs, while CEO Elon Musk promoted the Optimus humanoid robot. Revenue remained flat at $28.05 billion. Operating expenses surged from $3.43 billion to $4.78 billion, with R&D costs jumping to $2.76 billion. Tesla attributed the increase to "Super Intelligence" projects, stock-based compensation, and higher administrative costs. Adjusted for one-time factors, profit declined only 4%. Vehicle deliveries fell 2% to 486,532 units. Tesla began early Optimus production in Fremont, targeting 20,000 robots weekly within a year. Robotaxi unsupervised miles reached nearly 2 million, though profitability and safety data remain undisclosed.