What the Truck, Elon?
Uncanny Valley | WIRED
WIRED
4.1 • 575 Ratings
🗓️ 15 June 2023
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Hey, remember the Cybertruck? Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the company’s futuristic electric vehicle way back in 2019. At the launch event, Tesla tried to show off the Cybertruck's "unbreakable windows" by hurling a metal ball at them. It promptly shattered the glass. Twice. It was an inelegant debut, but Tesla still seemed eager to develop the EV.
Turns out, the Cybertruck had a few other design flaws as well. Leaked Tesla documents from January of 2022 have revealed an array of problems with the handling, braking, suspension, and chassis of the Cybertruck’s prototype. Most of the Cybertruck’s physical problems appear fixable, but auto industry experts are shocked that Tesla was still encountering so many issues at such a late point in the vehicle’s development.
This week on Gadget Lab, we're joined by WIRED staff writer Aarian Marshall and WIRED's innovations editor Jeremy White for a conversation about where the Cybertruck’s development went wrong and how the EV’s difficult birth affects Tesla’s larger EV vision.
Show Notes:
Read Jeremy and Aarian’s story about the leaked Tesla documents that revealed the Cybertruck’s design flaws. Check out all WIRED’s coverage of Tesla and electric vehicles.
Recommendations:
Aarian recommends Shokz Open Run headphones for running. Jeremy recommends that you get some proper tea, either loose leaf or PG Tips in paper bags. (And please only add the milk after you’ve poured in the hot water.) Mike recommends the podcast This Little Light, hosted by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Lauren recommends Jennifer Egan’s book The Candy House and the documentary series Smartless On the Road on Max.
Aarian Marshall can be found on Twitter @AarianMarshall. Jeremy White is @jeremywired. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Mike. |
| 0:00.7 | Lauren. |
| 0:01.2 | Have you made your deposit yet for your Tesla cyber truck? |
| 0:04.3 | No, I have not. |
| 0:05.9 | It's only, I think, $100. |
| 0:08.2 | Yeah. |
| 0:08.7 | Well, it's not exactly the deposit that is holding me back from investing in the cyber truck. |
| 0:14.1 | Say more. |
| 0:15.7 | Well, you know, there's structural concerns. |
| 0:19.5 | Was that shattered glass on stage, wasn't it? |
| 0:22.3 | I mean, not just that, but like the leaking, the breaking, the noise. |
| 0:26.5 | Okay. |
| 0:27.5 | Okay. |
| 0:28.4 | Let's save it for the show. |
| 0:29.8 | Okay. |
| 0:30.2 | Let's do it. |
| 0:30.6 | Let's do it. |
| 0:31.2 | Hi, everyone. Welcome to Gadgett Lab. I'm Lauren Good. I'm a senior writer at Wired. |
| 0:43.1 | And I'm Michael Colori. I'm a senior editor at Wired. We're also joined this week by Wired staff writer Ariane Marshall and Wired senior editor Jeremy White. Hello to you both. |
| 0:52.8 | Hello. Hello. It's great to have you on the show. Arianna's |
| 0:55.7 | joining us from Seattle, and Jeremy is in the UK. So if you'll indulge us, let's go back in time |
| 1:03.1 | to a pre-pandemic world. It was November of 2019. There was excitement and optimism in the air, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from WIRED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of WIRED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.