10 Jun 2025

Tesla Seeks to Block Austin, Texas from Releasing Records About Its Robotaxis

by Bonnie | | 0

Tesla is seeking to block the city of Austin, Texas, from releasing records requested by Reuters about the company’s upcoming launch of self-driving robotaxis there.

In January, CEO Elon Musk announced Tesla will launch fare-collecting self-driving robotaxis in Austin in June. In February, Reuters filed a request for release of two years worth of communications between the company and city officials.

Unnamed third parties asked the city to withhold those record, saying that is necessary to protect their “privacy or property interests.” On 7 April, Austin asked the Texas Attorney General’s office for an opinion to resolve the question of whether the city should release the records. Communications involving city officials are normally deemed public records to be released upon request.

On 16 April, a Tesla lawyer sent a letter to the AG’s office objecting to release of “confidential, proprietary, competitively sensitive commercial, and/or trade secret information” in the records which would reveal “Tesla’s deployment procedure, process, status and strategy” and “irreparably harm Tesla.”

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