Catching up to Waymo won't be easy because it has partnered with Uber Technologies, which operates the world's largest ride-hailing network with 170 million monthly users. It could take Tesla years to achieve that level of scale, especially if it builds its own mobility network from scratch.

With car sales cratering worldwide, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has his work cut out, looking for other areas of growth. Apart from launching a fleet of autonomous "Cybercab" robotaxis, the billionaire has promised that an army of Optimus humanoid robots could soon be roaming factory floors,

Neura Robotics' founder David Reger admires Musk but hopes the company's new 4NE-1 humanoid will outmatch the Tesla bot.