He says he’d rather be optimistically wrong than pessimistically right; Davos gave him a microphone. What vision did Elon Musk lay out with Larry Fink that has energy bosses, AI labs and carmakers bracing for impact?

Elon Musk touched down in Davos for his first World Economic Forum appearance and, in a brisk onstage exchange with BlackRock chief Larry Fink, turned the conversation to deadlines and scale. He laid out a Tesla and SpaceX solar push aiming for 100 GW by 2029, predicted European authorization for robotaxis with China on the horizon, and penciled in late 2027 to sell the Optimus humanoid to the public. Musk went further, saying AI could outthink humans by 2030 and contending that a hopeful misread beats a grim certainty when charting technology’s course. The result was a debate over how robotics, energy, and capital will absorb the shock if those promises arrive on time.

Elon Musk’s surprise debut at Davos

Elon Musk’s unexpected arrival at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos electrified the room. True to form, he blended sweeping vision with blunt commentary, appearing alongside Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, to range across space ventures, energy, and AI. The session quickly turned into a slate of headline-making signals about where his companies are headed.

Strategic promises: Space, solar, and beyond

Musk outlined an audacious clean-energy push: Tesla and SpaceX are teaming up on a solar initiative targeting 100 GW by 2029, a figure meant to reset expectations for grid-scale generation. He also flagged momentum on Tesla’s robotaxi program, saying European approval is drawing nearer and that China remains a compelling, if complex, expansion path.

He added a consumer-facing milestone: by the end of 2027, Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, could reach the broader market. The prospect immediately raised practical questions about deployment in factories and homes, as well as the technology’s impact on productivity and employment.

AI on the rise: opportunities and concerns

Musk projected that artificial intelligence could outstrip human-level capability by 2030, underscoring both unprecedented upside and systemic risk. He urged leaders to anticipate sweeping economic shifts as autonomy and machine learning move from pilots to pervasive infrastructure.

“This marks the beginning of an economic transformation,” he said, arguing that companies and governments should build guardrails while accelerating readiness for automation at scale.

Optimism as a strategy

Musk framed mindset as a competitive asset, even when forecasts are uncertain. “I’d rather have an optimistic and false view than a pessimistic and true one,” he remarked, contending that ambition galvanizes progress more reliably than caution.

His appearance carried added intrigue given his past skepticism toward global forums like WEF. The trip, punctuated by his Gulfstream G650ER landing in Zurich, signaled a readiness to test orthodoxies in front of the very institutions he often critiques.

New horizons shaped by bold ambition

From Davos, Musk sketched a roadmap that blended near-term execution with long-horizon bets: scaled solar, space-enabled energy logistics, robotaxis, and AI-native robots. The combined agenda read as both a technology plan and a policy challenge.

If even part of the vision comes to fruition, the knock-on effects for solar energy, supply chains, labor markets, and the global landscape could be profound, setting the tone for the next cycle of industrial change.