'Tearful' Musk aims for $25,000 Tesla car for the masses
San Francisco, Aug 18 : After giving a "tearful" interview to The New York Times, Tesla Chairman and CEO Elon Musk sat with popular You Tuber Marques Brownlee for a chat, revealing his plans for a mass-market electric vehicle priced as low as $25,000.
"That's something we could do. If we work really hard i think maybe we could do that in three years," Musk replied to Brownlee (who goes by the handle @MKBHD on Google-owned YouTube) on Friday.
The interview took place on August 15 but a 17-minute video was uploaded by Brownlee on YouTube on Friday -- a week after Musk tweeted about taking Tesla private with "funding secured" that created a storm at the Tesla board and amid market watchers.
According to The Verge, Musk said in the YouTube interview that he hoped to scale production at Tesla and lower their design and technology costs enough to be able to offer a truly mass-market electric vehicle.
Currently, the price for Tesla Model 3 starts from $35,000 and Model S from $75,000.
"Musk also expressed a desire to improve production to the point where Tesla can make two cars at once," said the report. "We've really gotta figure out how to make two new vehicles at the same time," Musk told Brownlee.
The YouTube interview came a day after Musk spoke to NYT about "excruciating" times at Tesla, noting that he "nearly missed his brother's wedding this summer and spent his birthday holed up in Tesla's offices as the company raced to meet elusive production targets on a crucial new model".
Earlier this week, Musk confirmed that he is closely working with Goldman Sachs and private-equity firm Silver Lake to take the electric carmaker private -- a deal that would need nearly $70 billion in funding.
"I'm excited to work with Silver Lake and Goldman Sachs as financial advisors, plus Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Munger, Tolles & Olson as legal advisors, on the proposal to take Tesla private," Musk tweeted.
Musk said that in late July, he met Saudi Arabian sovereign fund representatives to discuss the electric carmaker's possible exit from the stock market.
He said in a statement that the Saudi sovereign fund had first contacted him "at the beginning of 2017 to express (their) interest because of the important need to diversify away from oil".
"I continue to have discussions with the Saudi fund, and I also am having discussions with a number of other investors, which is something that I always planned to do since I would like for Tesla to continue to have a broad investor base," he added.
He said he had most recently met with the Saudis on July 31 and left that meeting "with no question that a deal with the... fund could be closed, and that it was just a matter of getting the process moving".
"This is why I referred to 'funding secured' in the August 7 announcement," he said, referring to his surprise tweet on that date that he was thinking about taking Tesla private.
According to Musk, "two thirds" of Tesla's current stockholders would be interested in continuing to hold the firm's shares once it goes private.
On August 7, Musk surprised the investment world with a Twitter announcement that he was considering taking Tesla private and that the funds needed to do so - which some financial analysts estimate at more than $70 billion - were "secured".
Musk's tweet caused a financial firestorm with Tesla shares immediately skyrocketing by almost 11 per cent, although in the coming days they lost a good part of what they had gained and tanked further after Musk's interview with the NYT.
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Galgotias accused of displaying commercial robot as own at AI Summit; clarifies after backlash
In another clip, University professor claims “developed by Galgotias”
New Delhi: A Noida-based private University, Galgotias has come under severe criticism after allegedly showcasing a china-made robotic dog at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
Social media users accused the university of purchasing a commercial robot from China and presenting it as its own creation at the summit.
Reports claimed that the university showcased the Unitree Go2 robotic dog, an AI-powered device available on Chinese platforms for Rs 2–3 lakh, under the name “Orion” during the event in New Delhi.
“So Galgotia university purchased a commercially available robot worth Rs 2.5 lakhs, called it their own and passed it off in the Delhi AI Summit as a part of their 350 crore AI ecosystem..I literally have no words left,” wrote ‘X’ user Roshan Rai, sharing a video in which a DD News reporter interviewed a university official about the robotic dog.
So Galgotia university purchased a commercially available robot worth ₹2.5 lakhs, called it their own and passed it off in the Delhi AI Summit as a part of their 350 crore AI ecosystem 😭😭
— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) February 17, 2026
I literally have no words left.
pic.twitter.com/tTozvotO5m
The viral post claimed that the robot closely resembles Unitree Go2, a quadruped robotic dog developed by Chinese company Unitree Robotics.
Screenshots attached to the post compared the robot displayed at the summit with the Unitree Go2 listing, priced at roughly 2,800 dollars (around Rs 2.3–2.5 lakhs).
According Unitree Robotics, The Unitree Go2 is widely used as a programmable quadruped robot for research, education, inspection, and development purposes, and is a common learning platform in universities and robotics labs worldwide.
Several users reiterated the claim.
🚨 Galgotias University again.
— Mr Sharma (@sharma_views) February 17, 2026
Showcased a commercially available $2,800 robot as an “AI breakthrough.”
No evidence of ₹350 crore original R&D.
This is how credibility erodes.
STOP EMBARRASSING INDIA ON THE WORLD STAGE. pic.twitter.com/SyJyIntRLa
This is Unitree Go2, an AI-powered Chinese robo dog that you can buy from Chinese websites for ₹2–3 lakh.
— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) February 17, 2026
Galgotias University, Gr Noida, presented it as their multi-crore AI innovation by naming it Orion at the AI Summit. Even Ashwini Vaishnaw, the concerned minister, used… pic.twitter.com/0ZoIAJCors
Government of India funds for filing patents
Meanwhile, concerns were raised about alleged misuse of government funds.
User @sky_phd highlighted, “Galgotias University is once again in the spotlight. Under the guise of research and innovation, they are raking in plenty of money.”
The user claimed that the university took money under government funds, and wrote, “The Government of India provides incentive funding of up to five lakh rupees for filing patents.”
“To understand the patent filing process and the games being played with it, take a look at the list of top Indian institutions filing patents. All the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) together file only 803 patents, while institutions like Lovely Professional University, Jain Deemed-to-be University, Galgotias University, and Teerthanker Mahaveer University have filed more than a thousand patents each,” the user wrote, sharing a chart of patent filings by these universities.
“The basic international patent filing fee is $285–400. Through patent filings alone, these institutions are reportedly earning more than fifty crore rupees annually. However, while these universities file patents, they often do not pursue them further, and most patents ultimately do not get granted. This inflates filing numbers but does not reflect real innovation or recognized intellectual property,” the user added.
Galgotias University एक बार फिर चर्चा में है। रिसर्च और इनोवेशन के नाम पर खूब पैसा बना रहे है। भारत सरकार पेटेंट फाइल करने के लिए पाँच लाख रुपये तक की प्रोत्साहन राशि देती है।
— Santosh Yadav, Ph.D. (@sky_phd) February 17, 2026
पेटेंट फाइलिंग की प्रक्रिया और इसके खेल को समझने के लिए टॉप पेटेंट फाइल करने वाले भारतीय संस्थानों की… pic.twitter.com/6gv6HzwM1l
Another user pointed out about the selection criteria of the summit. The user questioned, “What exactly was the selection criteria for participation in this AI summit? .”
“Platforms meant to showcase India’s innovation should represent genuine research, original ideas, and credible institutions. So how did Galgotias University qualify to display a Chinese-made robot and present it as its own “innovation”? If true, this isn’t just embarrassing, it undermines the credibility of the entire summit and of India’s growing tech ecosystem. At a time when India is trying to position itself as a global AI and deep-tech leader, showcasing repackaged imports as indigenous innovation only damages trust. If we want the world to take India’s AI ambitions seriously, transparency and authenticity must come first,” the user added.
Serious question: What exactly was the selection criteria for participation in this AI summit?
— Adarsh (@OpinionKraft) February 17, 2026
Platforms meant to showcase India’s innovation should represent genuine research, original ideas, and credible institutions.
So how did Galgotias University qualify to display a… pic.twitter.com/WJRAgXTMf6
University clarifies after backlash
In response to the criticism, Galgotias University issued a clarification, stating that it “never claimed to have built the device” and that the robot was procured from a Chinese manufacturer for academic purposes.
“Let us be clear, Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we claimed to do so. What we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies in Bharat," the university said.
The university in its statement also pointed out that the Unitree Go2 is being used as a learning tool for students.
“From the US to China and Singapore, we bring advanced technologies to campus because exposure creates vision, and vision creates creators. The robodog is actively being used by students to test capabilities and explore real-world applications,” the university added.
— Galgotias University (@GalgotiasGU) February 17, 2026
University professor claims “it's developed by the Center of Excellence at the Galgotias University.”
In another video captured by DD News, a reporter showcased the Galgotias University pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
At the pavilion, the reporter spoke with the university professor about the technology on display.
The professor introduced the robot, saying, “This is Orion. You need to meet Orion. It has been developed by the Center of Excellence at Galgotias University.”
She added, “I would also like to brief you about Galgotias University. We are the first private university investing more than Rs 350 crore in artificial intelligence and have a dedicated data science and AI lab on campus.”
“Orion has been developed by our Center of Excellence. It can take all shapes and sizes and is quite playful. It can perform small tasks such as surveillance and monitoring. It can even execute movements like moonwalks and somersaults,” she explained.
She also claimed that, “This is India’s first iOS lab in North India at a university, giving our students hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology.”
Have some shame, in this video ur Professor is clearly saying that it's developed by Galgotias University. pic.twitter.com/xt5MkL8KEN
— Aniruddh Sharma (@AniruddhINC) February 17, 2026
Reacting to the video social media users ridiculed the 350 cr rupees investment compared to the china made robo dog.
Past Controversies of the University
This is not the first time the university is in controversy. In May 2024, during the Lok Sabha elections, a video went viral showing students protesting outside the Congress headquarters in New Delhi against the party’s manifesto. The footage, captured by Aaj Tak, showed students struggling to articulate the purpose of their protest, raising questions about the demonstration’s intent.
Students of Galgotias University are holding a protest against Congress , failing to answer the reason behind it #getstrolled #GalgotiyaUniversity #protests #trolled
— the swipe (@theswipenews_) May 2, 2024
Credits - Aaj Tak pic.twitter.com/xo87HLvngL
Earlier, in 2017, students protested against the university management after being barred from appearing in exams due to low attendance, with allegations that fines were requested to allow attendance, a claim denied by the administration.
