Despite the technological milestone, Tesla shares fell about 1% in early trading Monday. The company's stock has declined more than 15% since the start of the year, as Tesla grapples with declining demand and increasing pressure from competitors.
The company has faced mounting challenges, particularly in key markets such as China and Europe, where such as China's BYD have taken the lead in the EV sector. Investors have also raised concerns about Tesla's aging vehicle lineup and its brand image, which has been affected by Musk's much-debated involvement with President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency.
The driverless delivery came shortly after Tesla initiated its Robotaxi program in Austin on a limited basis. While some influencers and analysts praised the program after participating in controlled test runs, others noted that the autonomous vehicles occasionally disobeyed local traffic laws.