Elon Musk announced via a tweet yesterday that Tesla will license Autopilot or Full Self-Driving software to other companies.
Tesla made their announcement after Ford recently signed a contract granting access to their Supercharging network and are planning on adopting Tesla's charging connector, eliminating adapters altogether.
Musk responded to an article discussing General Motors CEO Mary Barra's remarks regarding Tesla's dominance in electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing by tweeting that the company strives "to be as helpful as we can" when it comes to other car makers; specifically mentioning their decision a few years back to make all patents freely available to other firms.
Musk announced via tweet that he would welcome license offers for Autopilot/FSD and other Tesla technologies.
Tesla has long been known for their dedication to sustainable energy solutions worldwide. They stand by other businesses when they require help and may provide assistance when other firms ask, even if that means giving an unfair competitive or strategic advantage over time.
Musk and Tesla have long noted that while becoming the world's leading automaker or selling the most electric vehicles would be great feats of achievement, their primary objective should be breaking our dependence on fossil fuels that will run out eventually.
Tesla opened up their patents to other automakers years ago. Their expertise helped struggling automakers create products with greater effectiveness.
Musk made his announcement public in 2014 through a blog post titled "All Our Patent Belong To You," explaining his intentions of opening up Tesla's Intellectual Property to all.
Musk wrote in his letter that Tesla, as well as other electric car makers and the world in general, could all benefit from an evolving, common technology platform. Technology does not depend solely on patents; history has shown this to be very small protections against determined competitors; rather it depends on a company's ability and motivation to attract the top engineers around the globe. "We believe applying an open-source philosophy to our existing patents will only strengthen Tesla's current standing rather than harm it."
