Cathie Wood, an influential Tesla investor, made headlines recently when she appeared in an Axios interview and defended Elon Musk's Full Self Driving feature in Full Self Driving Vehicles (FSDVs).
Cathie Wood of ARK Investment Firm is among the most enthusiastic Tesla investors. Wood has often advocated that Tesla will play an essential part in future transportation systems and even set an estimated price target of $2,400 per share of Tesla stock. She recently expressed more enthusiasm in an Axios panel discussion, where she defended both Elon Musk and FSD Beta as she expressed further optimism regarding them both.
Wood's remarks to Axios first made headlines as part of Axios' "Big Future Day" panel interviewing, where leading journalists from the media company question top investors about their plans and trends they observe in the market. Once published on Twitter by Sawyer Merrit, these interviews quickly went viral online.
Wood discusses safety and ethical concerns surrounding the Tesla FSD Beta Program in this clip.
Cathie is awesome, interviewer less so
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2023
Since its introduction, Tesla FSD has been the subject of numerous safety-related concerns. Recently, however, NHTSA initiated their 40th investigation of this program despite these reservations; Tesla itself issued its Investor Day Report concluding that FSD is six times safer than regular drivers; even those using less sophisticated Autopilot systems were safer than drivers without them.
Wood argues against criticisms that Tesla FSD lacks safety, noting that this program is the primary cause of its stock price increase; especially as Tesla plans on monetising more of the FSD program in future. Wood believes this new revenue stream - an obscure one in auto industry parlance - will help push Tesla stock towards their ambitious $2,400 price target.
Wood was asked by Automotive News to comment on Elon Musk and his leadership of Tesla, asking if this would benefit or harm the automaker. Wood answered in no uncertain terms, stating his opinion clearly: "Elon is our Renaissance Man...
Cathie Wood today on @elonmusk:
“I think he’s our renaissance man. He’s the inventor of our age. He’s got an enormous capacity to take on new projects. I do think @Tesla‘s the most important project. We think it’s the most impactful project AI project out there. Many of you… pic.twitter.com/OCQ3Cglw1w
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) May 11, 2023
