Shot, Chaser

The simple explanation for this is Tesla couldn't manage to set up the remote intervention system that Waymo does its best to obscure but not hide entirely, so this is what they do.

Earlier today, Elon Musk announced on X that Tesla had “just started Tesla Robotaxi drives in Austin with no safety monitor in the car.” Tesla’s stock immediately jumped over 4% on the news. Headlines across the financial press celebrated the milestone.

There’s just one problem: it appears to be another game of smoke and mirrors. The Robotaxi cars spotted without “safety monitor” were all being followed by a trailing black Tesla supervising the “driverless” Robotaxi.

It looks less obviously ridiculous than having "driver" in your driverless car, but it is actually more ridiculous of course!