Alright, so here’s the deal with Tesla and their “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) thing. You know, the software they’ve been selling for years, promising to deliver… well, full self-driving. For like, twelve grand. Then fifteen grand. And people bought it! They shelled out serious cash because, hey, it’s the future, right? You’re getting in on the ground floor of autonomous driving. Except, from what I can tell, the ground floor keeps sinking, and now, now it’s basically a subscription service. Just when you thought you owned something, poof, it’s a rental.

Tesla’s FSD: The Never-Ending Beta

Look, I’ve been watching this FSD saga unfold for years. And it’s been a ride, I’m telling you. First, it was “any day now.” Then, “by the end of the year.” Then, “oh, we’re just collecting data, it’s a beta, you know.” A beta that costs more than some used cars, mind you. You bought into this vision, this promise that your car would eventually drive itself, truly. Hands-off. Eyes-off (well, maybe not eyes-off, they’re pretty clear about that now, aren’t they?).

And for a long, long time, if you wanted the full FSD experience, you had to buy it outright. No monthly payments. Just one big, fat check. Tesla was practically begging people to buy it, pushing the price higher and higher. It was a status symbol, a tech flex, and a gamble on the future. A future that, let’s be honest, hasn’t quite arrived yet for most folks outside of very specific, highly-curated demos.

The thing is, if you’re one of those brave souls who actually paid the full price-tag for FSD, like $12,000 or even the more recent $15,000, you’re probably feeling a bit… well, duped right about now. Because according to Engadget, Tesla’s now making FSD a subscription-only thing for new buyers. Or, rather, if you don’t already have Enhanced Autopilot, it’s $199 a month. If you do have Enhanced Autopilot, it’s $99 a month. What gives? It’s like buying a house, only to find out years later that the deed actually means you’re just renting the land forever.

The Goalposts Just Keep Moving

This isn’t the first time Tesla has pulled a fast one on its early adopters, is it? I mean, remember when they changed the hardware? “Oh, don’t worry, your car will be upgraded for FSD!” And then it was like, “well, actually, you need Hardware 3.0.” Or 4.0. Or whatever version they’re on now. The goalposts just keep shifting, and it’s always the early, loyal customers who end up getting squeezed. It’s frustrating. Really, really frustrating.

Is This Just About Locking in Revenue?

You bet your bottom dollar it is. From a business perspective, I get it. Subscriptions are gold. They’re recurring revenue, predictable income. Apple does it with services, Microsoft does it with software, Adobe does it with Creative Cloud. Everyone wants a piece of that sweet, sweet monthly pie. But those are usually new services, or established software moving to a subscription model with clear benefits (or at least, less initial outlay).

“It’s like paying for a gym membership for years, believing one day you’ll get a personal trainer included, and then they tell you the trainer is now an extra monthly fee, even though you already paid for the ‘premium’ membership.”

But FSD? This isn’t some new, groundbreaking service that just launched. This is a product that’s been sold as a feature purchase for years, promising a level of autonomy that, frankly, still feels very much in development. And now, for new folks, it’s just a rental. It screams “we need to shore up our balance sheet with consistent revenue streams,” especially as EV sales cool down a bit and competition heats up.

The Long Game and the Short End of the Stick

So, what’s happening here? My take? Tesla’s basically admitting that the lump sum payment for FSD wasn’t sustainable, or maybe, just maybe, they realized that people weren’t going to keep buying a $15,000 feature that wasn’t quite there yet. And by “not quite there,” I mean it still requires constant driver supervision, often makes questionable decisions, and has even led to recalls. (Remember those “uncontrolled movements” recalls? Yikes.)

By switching to a subscription model, they lower the barrier to entry for hesitant buyers. Instead of forking over a huge sum upfront for something that might still be a work in progress, you can pay $99 or $199 a month and try it out. See if it works for your commute. See if it drives you insane. And if it does, you can cancel. Smart, right? For Tesla, absolutely. For the consumer who dropped five figures on it years ago? Not so much.

And you know, this also feels like a way to keep people engaged. If you’re paying monthly, you’re more invested, literally, in seeing it improve. But it also means that the “ownership” aspect of FSD, which was a huge selling point, is slowly eroding. What happens when your car is older and you want to sell it? Does the FSD subscription just transfer to the new owner? Or do they have to start fresh? It’s not entirely clear yet, but it probably means less resale value for that “feature” you paid so much for.

What This Actually Means

Here’s the honest truth, if I’m being brutally honest: this FSD subscription switch feels like a tacit admission that the full purchase price was, and probably still is, too high for what the product delivers today. It’s a way to keep the FSD dream alive, to keep development funded, and to hook new customers without asking for an astronomical upfront commitment.

But for those of us who’ve been watching, and especially for those who bought in early, it feels a bit like a bait-and-switch. You bought into the future, you paid for it, and now that future is slowly, subtly, morphing into a monthly bill. It’s a cash grab, plain and simple, dressed up as a more “accessible” option. It’s Tesla saying, “We still want your money, but maybe we shouldn’t ask for it all at once for something that’s still… evolving.” And that, my friends, is a pattern we’ve seen before, time and time again, in the tech world. Don’t expect it to be the last time either.