A growing wave of experts and high-profile users are claiming that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology has officially surpassed the iPhone as the most significant innovation of the 21st century.
The sentiment was sparked by sports podcaster Clay Travis, who described the experience of using the software as “otherworldly” and “revolutionary.” His comments caught the attention of Elon Musk, who replied that most people still have no idea just how advanced the system has become.
A New Benchmark for Innovation
The comparison to the iPhone is a bold one, given how Apple’s smartphone reshaped global communication and created entirely new industries. However, proponents of Tesla’s technology argue that we are only at the beginning of the spinoff effects that autonomous driving will create. Unlike the iPhone, which has had two decades to mature, FSD is currently in an accelerating progress phase.
Tesla’s head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, replied to tease that upcoming technical updates will make the system even more impressive than what is available today. “It really is! And the upcoming tech will make it even more so,” said Elluswamy.
The Data Behind the Hype
Tesla’s FSD Supervised has now logged over 8.5 billion miles across its global fleet. The safety data released by the company shows a significant gap between human and machine performance. On average, Tesla vehicles using FSD boast one crash for every 5.3 million miles driven. In contrast, manual driving averages one crash every 2.2 million miles, suggesting that the software is already more than twice as safe as a human operator.
Camera Vision vs. LiDAR
Tesla’s approach remains unique in the industry because it relies entirely on a camera-only vision system, completely skipping the expensive LiDAR sensors used by competitors like Waymo. By using massive amounts of real-world data to train its neural networks, Tesla has achieved smooth handling and complex decision-making that critics once thought impossible without laser-based sensors.
Recent demonstrations in Austin, featuring Robotaxi rides without safety drivers, have further silenced many of the skeptics.
Many Tesla owners with older Hardware 3 (HW3) equipped cars lack the ability to experience the latest version of FSD 14, which is in newer vehicles with Hardware 4 (HW4). Many HW3 owners are waiting for FSD 14 “Lite”, teased by Tesla, saying they would work on that after FSD 14 has been fully achieved.
I am confident that FSD can be as good or even better than human drivers. More “eyes” seeing with better concentration and driving experience, how can it not be? However including Lidar provides distinct advantages that will allow self driving to exceed Tesla’s FSD, as it is a different kind of perception. Not all Lidar is equal either. 4D FMCW Lidar will dominate the industry. Regulators will demand highest levels of safety. Making autonomous driving as safe as technically feasible will be the goal. Now to the headline. Ask any Tesla owner that has an iPhone. “If you have to give up your iPhone or FSD, which would it be?” Pretty sure we both know the answer.