Mark Rober, the beloved YouTuber and former NASA engineer, is facing intense backlash over his latest video, Can You Fool a Self-Driving Car? The experiment, which pits Tesla’s Autopilot against a LiDAR-equipped vehicle in extreme obstacle tests, is being accused of misleading viewers. Critics argue that Rober never actually tested Tesla’s Full Self-Driving mode—only Autopilot, which isn’t designed for full autonomy.
Even more suspicious, some eagle-eyed viewers claim Rober may have deactivated Autopilot right before impact, making Tesla’s performance look even worse. As the controversy unfolds, fans are left questioning whether the experiment was a fair test or a deliberate hit piece.
Things get even murkier when financial motives come into play. According to online speculation, Rober failed to disclose an alleged business connection to a LiDAR company, potentially violating transparency guidelines. This timing is crucial—after Rober’s video went viral, Tesla stock dropped by 5%, while LiDAR company Luminar’s shares soared 27%.
With Elon Musk’s long-standing opposition to LiDAR technology and Tesla’s vision-based approach to autonomy, many are wondering—was this just a science experiment, or something more calculated?
Even more suspicious, some eagle-eyed viewers claim Rober may have deactivated Autopilot right before impact, making Tesla’s performance look even worse. As the controversy unfolds, fans are left questioning whether the experiment was a fair test or a deliberate hit piece.
Things get even murkier when financial motives come into play. According to online speculation, Rober failed to disclose an alleged business connection to a LiDAR company, potentially violating transparency guidelines. This timing is crucial—after Rober’s video went viral, Tesla stock dropped by 5%, while LiDAR company Luminar’s shares soared 27%.
With Elon Musk’s long-standing opposition to LiDAR technology and Tesla’s vision-based approach to autonomy, many are wondering—was this just a science experiment, or something more calculated?
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00:00YouTuber Mark Rober is under fire for his latest video experiment, which is being accused
00:04of misleading fans for alleged financial gain.
00:07Let's break it down.
00:09Mark Rober, a popular YouTuber, former NASA engineer, and inventor, is known for his science-themed
00:15YouTube videos, creative DIY gadgets, and viral glitter bomb pranks, as well as funding
00:20Crunch Labs, which delivers monthly engineer-themed toys for kids.
00:24Now, Rober's latest video, Can You Fool a Self-Driving Car, which pits Tesla's Autopilot
00:30against a LiDAR-equipped vehicle, is under scrutiny for allegedly misleading his viewers.
00:35In the video, Tesla's system plows through a painted wall and even a child mannequin
00:40while the LiDAR-equipped cars perform flawlessly.
00:43The problem, according to viewers and Tesla enthusiasts, is that, based on the footage,
00:48Rober never tested Tesla's full self-driving mode, like the title insinuated.
00:52Instead, he tested the Autopilot, which isn't designed for full autonomy.
00:57Even worse, eagle-eyed viewers spotted him allegedly deactivating Autopilot just before
01:02impact, which would ensure the car wouldn't correct itself.
01:05Mark has since taken to X to share the raw footage, but critics quickly pointed out that
01:10the footage on X appeared different from the footage on YouTube, based on the miles-per-hour
01:14display, leading many to speculate that the test was filmed multiple times.
01:19Since we're left disappointed, one X user wrote,
01:22At Mark Rober, I used to respect you as an engineer because of your creativity and truthful
01:27nature.
01:28However, you lost my respect, and I unsubbed you.
01:31So why would Rober do this and risk his credibility?
01:35According to Alex Finn, Rober is quote, working with a LiDAR company, which he illegally never
01:41discloses.
01:42Although, a disclaimer is visible in Rober's YouTube video that states,
01:46Thanks to Luminar for allowing us to test their LiDAR-equipped car.
01:50They provided the vehicle for testing purposes, but no compensation was given, and this is
01:55not a paid promotion.
01:57But the video has had an effect beyond the YouTube comments section, as Tesla stocks
02:01saw a fall of 5% on Monday, despite the broader market gaining 0.6%, according to Investing.com.
02:08And Bloomberg reports that Luminar's shares, the company behind the car that passed Rober's
02:13with flying colors, soared 27% on Monday after Rober posted his viral video featuring
02:19LiDAR technology.
02:21And the situation becomes even more complicated when considering Elon Musk's long-standing
02:26refusal to implement LiDAR technology in Tesla's self-driving vehicles, leaving many to wonder
02:31if Rober's recent experiment was genuinely scientific or a biased test that served the
02:37YouTuber's own financial interest.
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