Tesla Stock Slips as Cybercab Leader Victor Nechita Exists, Calls it a ‘Humbling Experience’

Tesla is having a bumpy ride on Wall Street this week. On Friday, Tesla stock TSLA -2.11% ▼ slipped in premarket trading, falling to $405.63. While the company has been trying to convince investors that its future belongs to artificial intelligence and self-driving cars, the sudden departure of a key leader has created some nerves. The stock has now fallen in three out of the last four weeks, leaving investors wondering if the robo-taxi dream is moving fast enough.

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Executive Exit Shakes Tesla’s Cybercab Team

The big news of the day was the departure of Victor Nechita, the man in charge of the Cybercab vehicle program. He had been a central figure in designing Tesla’s purpose-built taxi, which has no steering wheel or pedals. His exit comes at a strange time, right as the very first Cybercab finished its journey down the assembly line.

Leaving the company at such a critical moment is always a red flag for traders. On his LinkedIn profile, Nechita looked back at his time at the company with pride. He wrote, “Leading the team through the development of Cybercab has been a humbling experience, watching so many dedicated individuals develop a product that has pushed the boundaries of efficiency, safety, and affordability.” Tesla has not yet said who will take his place as the program moves into its most important phase.

Tesla’s Robo-Taxi Expansion Faces Tough Competition

Tesla is in a race to prove that its physical AI is better than the rest. The company already runs a small taxi service in Austin, Texas, using Model Y cars. By the middle of 2026, Tesla hopes to have its robo-taxis driving passengers in nine different cities. However, they are playing catch-up with Alphabet’s GOOGL -1.76% ▼ Waymo, which is already operating in 10 cities and has millions of miles of experience.

Expanding the taxi network is the only way Tesla can justify its massive stock price. Right now, Tesla’s stock is about 10 times more expensive than the average company in the S&P 500. Investors are paying a premium because they believe Tesla will eventually make billions of dollars from software and robot rides, rather than just selling cars to individuals.

Market Sentiment Weighs on Tesla’s AI Dreams

Even though Tesla reported strong profits in January, the stock has dropped about 5% since then. Many investors are currently worried about how much money it costs to build a self-driving fleet. There are also concerns about new government rules that could slow down how fast Tesla can put these driverless cars on the road in cities like Los Angeles or New York.

The current stock slump shows that Wall Street is tired of waiting for promises. For Tesla to regain its momentum, it needs to show that the Cybercab can actually handle city traffic without a human pilot. With one of the program’s top leaders now gone, the pressure is on Elon Musk to show that the 2026 rollout remains on track.

Is Tesla Stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell?

Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on TSLA stock based on 12 Buys, 11 Holds, and seven Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 44.9% rally in its share price over the past year, the average TSLA price target of $396.80 per share implies 2.9% downside risk.

See more TSLA analyst ratings

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