Mark Rober Sparks Controversy with Tesla Self-Driving Experiment
YouTube personality Mark Rober has recently stirred up considerable discussion across social media platforms after posting a video examining Tesla’s self-driving capabilities. The video, titled Can You Fool A Self Driving Car?, was released on March 15, 2025, where the 45-year-old creator sought to determine if a Tesla could recognize a fake wall, thereby testing the effectiveness of its autopilot feature in preventing accidents.
Despite Rober’s intentions, the reception from viewers has not been entirely positive. Critics on X (formerly Twitter) have accused him of not properly utilizing the Tesla Model Y’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) functionality in his demonstration.
“Mark Rober posted a video ripping @Tesla’s FSD/AutoPilot technology. The problem? FSD was never engaged, and nothing was on when he crashed into the wall. The whole video was designed to bash Tesla and promote Luminar, a LiDAR company.”
X user @chrisfirsttt posted.
Other users echoed similar concerns, claiming that Rober had misled his audience about the functionalities being tested. User @BLSmith2112 expressed:
“Let’s state the obvious. This is an incredibly sad and misleading video. The title implies that the Tesla used in this video was utilizing Full Self Driving (FSD), when in fact it was using Autopilot (AP), a completely different software stack… This creates confusion for would-be buyers.”
X user @BLSmith2112 remarked.
“Mark Rober is a complete fraud. Images show that AP was not engaged until shortly before approaching the wall, and yet the car was going 42 mph, over the supposed 40 mph limit set.”
X user @WR4NYGov remarked.
Insights from Mark Rober’s Video on Tesla’s Optical System
In his nearly 19-minute video, Rober investigated whether Tesla’s autopilot could be deceived by a wall deliberately camouflaged to mimic the surrounding environment. He referenced this as being akin to a “Wile E. Coyote”scenario, given the visual trickery involved.
At around the 15-minute mark, Rober drove his Tesla Model Y through the cleverly disguised wall, which resulted in the car failing to stop as it should have. Rober’s commentary following the incident emphasized the shortcomings of Tesla’s optical camera system.
“For the first time in the history of the world, Tesla’s optical camera system would absolutely smash through a fake wall without even a slight tap on the brakes.”
On March 17, 2025, Rober shared additional footage showing the Model Y not detecting the wall effectively, stating that the FSD disengaged just moments before the impact. He clarified that he had not applied the brake or accelerator during the test.