Here’s Why Elon Musk Says Tesla Will Never Build A Smartphone

Nobody can say for sure if Tesla will ever consider making smartphones in the future, but Musk did address the issue. In a tweet, Musk said Tesla is “definitely not” actively developing any sort of smartphone, even referring to them as “yesterday’s technology.” Instead of focusing on legacy hardware such as phones, Musk did hint at something that he deems is “the future,” and that’s Neuralink. Some might be wondering, how can Neuralink, a company co-founded by Musk that develops advanced Brain Machine Interfaces (BMIs), be compared to something as mundane as smartphones? Well, let’s just say Musk has big plans for these BMIs, which can be implanted in brains, allowing people to control computers with their minds in the process.

Like what the Tesla Phone concept shows above, its application can easily translate to mind-controlled smartphones, but with more emphasis on hardware that bridges the gap between people and their devices instead of the device itself. While that may sound too futuristic or far-fetched for some, Neuralink already gave a sneak peek of what it’s like to play games using these BMIs. In a YouTube video, Neuralink showed a monkey playing “MindPong” using nothing but his mind. Interaction with the game is done simply by “imagining hand movements.” This method led to a more precise performance, with the monkey constantly hitting the ball at will. Needless to say, users certainly won’t be making any excuses about faulty controllers.