Video – This scene with a Tesla Cybercab shows a (huge) weakness of robotaxis

Just as the Tesla Cybercab began operating on Austin’s roads, it already had to deal with an element that is extremely difficult to predict: humans. A video shared on social media shows a man who decided to test the robotaxi’s capabilities on his own, ignoring basic safety rules.

He deliberately stepped in front of a Cybercab

The Tesla Cybercab has recently started serving passengers in Austin, Texas. Without a steering wheel or pedals, this vehicle relies entirely on an autonomous driving system to move. The rollout is still very limited, but it has already attracted close attention and sometimes even faced quite surprising disruptions…

$TSLA Robotaxis definitely face a huge issue with people intentionally stopping a car. This guy is playing games with the new Cybercab, but the ability to evade someone attempting to harm the vehicle or especially the passengers is likely a design flaw. https://t.co/9PGWfIyXGY

— Stone Fox Capital (@Stonefoxcapital) 2026-09-08T17:00:47.000Z

In this video filmed a few days ago, we see a man waiting behind a pole before rushing onto the road as the vehicle approaches. He clearly tries to appear as late as possible to see if the Cybercab’s cameras will detect him and trigger braking. The robotaxi does indeed stop before hitting him.

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He repeats the experiment several times, even running alongside the robotaxi before crossing in front of it again. The scene takes place mainly on a road open to traffic. Another car is temporarily blocked behind the Cybercab before changing lanes to continue its journey...

This is a dangerous behavior that could very well have caused an accident involving other road users.

A real puzzle for autonomous vehicles?

Beyond the pedestrian’s unawareness, this incident in Austin illustrates a phenomenon that robotaxi operators will likely need to prepare for. A self-driving vehicle programmed to prioritize safety can become relatively easy to stop if someone deliberately blocks its path. Such vehicles thus become easy targets for protesters, who can easily disrupt services to target their designers or what they represent in society.

With Cybercab, the situation is even worse since it lacks any controls that would allow taking back control. This launch has already drawn special attention from U.S. authorities. Since September 4, 2026, the NHTSA has been investigating to ensure Tesla complies with existing state regulations.

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