Tesla (TSLA) Stock Surges as Its Robo-Taxis Outperform Waymo During San Francisco Blackout

When the lights went out in San Francisco, Tesla's autonomous fleet didn't miss a beat—and Wall Street took notice.

The Grid Goes Dark, The Bots Keep Rolling

A city-wide blackout plunged streets into chaos, but Tesla's robo-taxi network reportedly navigated the disruption with eerie calm. Competitor Waymo's vehicles, in a stark contrast, were said to have ground to a halt. The incident wasn't just a stress test for sensors; it was a real-world trial that sent a clear signal to investors about operational resilience.

Software Over Steel

The takeaway cuts deeper than hardware. It's about the underlying AI stack—the software brain that interprets a darkened world. Tesla's edge, proponents argue, isn't built in a factory but coded in silicon, a system that learns and adapts faster than any rulebook can be written. This isn't just about winning a single night; it's about proving a model that scales.

The Market's Verdict: Betting on Autonomy

The reaction was immediate and bullish. TSLA shares climbed as the narrative solidified from speculative moonshot to demonstrable, grid-defying utility. It's the kind of story that fuels the valuation—a tangible step toward the long-promised autonomous future. Of course, the finance crowd always finds the angle; one analyst quipped that the stock's rise perfectly priced in the future revenue from all the surge fares the bots could have charged in the dark.

A single event doesn't make a trend, but it can illuminate a path. For Tesla, that path just got a lot brighter, even with the streetlights off.

TLDR

• A power outage in San Francisco on Sunday left Waymo’s robo-taxis stalled in streets while Tesla’s robo-taxis continued operating normally
• Tesla CEO Elon Musk highlighted on X that Tesla’s robo-taxis were unaffected by the blackout
• The Delaware Supreme Court restored Elon Musk’s $56 billion 2018 CEO compensation package, reversing a lower court’s cancellation
• Tesla shares rose 1% in premarket trading Monday following the court ruling and robo-taxi incident
• Waymo operates in five cities with no safety drivers, completing over 450,000 fully autonomous rides weekly, while Tesla tests in Austin and San Francisco with monitors

Tesla shares climbed 1% in premarket trading Monday to $486.50 after two major developments over the weekend.

Tesla, Inc., TSLA

A power outage in San Francisco on Sunday affected about 130,000 homes and businesses. The blackout created an unexpected test for competing robo-taxi services operating in the city.

Waymo’s autonomous vehicles paused service during the outage. Reports showed the company’s robo-taxis stalled in streets, waiting for traffic lights that weren’t working.

Tesla’s robo-taxis kept running. CEO Elon Musk pointed this out on X, his social-media platform.

The difference comes down to technology approaches. Waymo started as a robo-taxi service, mapping city streets and using expensive sensors including lidar. Tesla built its system on Full Self-Driving technology for passenger cars, relying on optical cameras.

Delaware Court Restores Musk Compensation

The Delaware Supreme Court delivered a major win for Musk on the same day. The court restored his 2018 CEO compensation package worth $56 billion.

A lower court had ordered the pay package rescinded. The Supreme Court ruled that remedy went too far.

The judges reversed the cancellation. They awarded $1 in nominal damages, effectively reinstating the 2018 plan.

Tesla shareholder Richard J. Tornetta brought the original case. He accused Musk and the board of breaching fiduciary duties.

Current Robo-Taxi Operations

Waymo operates in five cities today. The service runs with no safety drivers or monitors. The company completes more than 450,000 fully autonomous rides per week.

Tesla launched its robo-taxi service in Austin, Texas, in June. Safety monitors sit in the front passenger seat. The company is testing in San Francisco with safety drivers in the driver’s seat.

Tesla’s FSD system keeps driving and pays attention to surroundings even when traffic lights malfunction. Waymo vehicles are programmed with knowledge of city traffic infrastructure. This may include logic that prevents them from entering intersections where lights should be functioning.

The court decision closes the dispute over Musk’s 2018 compensation. It doesn’t undo broader governance criticisms found by the Court of Chancery.

Those findings included conclusions about Musk’s influence over Tesla. They also detailed flaws in the board’s approval process.

After the original ruling, Tesla moved its incorporation out of Delaware. The company sought to reaffirm Musk’s pay through a second shareholder vote.

Investors approved an even larger compensation package in November 2025. The new plan ties to performance milestones over the next decade.

Alphabet stock ROSE 0.7% in premarket trading Monday to $309.32. Tesla stock is up 19% this year coming into Monday trading.