Tesla's stock surged nearly 10% following the launch of its autonomous robotaxi service in Austin. CEO Elon Musk announced this milestone, marking significant progress in Tesla's autonomous driving efforts, with customers paying a flat fee for rides.

The launch places Tesla in competition with Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle service. Initiated with Model Y SUVs, the service operates in a limited area with safety operators present. Early users report positive experiences, highlighting Tesla's personalized features.

Analysts provide varied perspectives. Dan Ives from Wedbush praises the service for its safety and comfort, seeing the launch as foundational to Tesla's ambitions. However, he notes that scaling will be essential for competing with Waymo.

Despite impressive stock performance, challenges remain. Barclays analyst Dan Levy warns that scaling will be complex and slow. Tesla's stock, however, continues to outperform the market with significant gains.

Tesla currently has a strong market capitalization, but opinions on its future are mixed. While some analysts are optimistic, pointing to the robotaxi service as a bullish indicator, others are cautious due to scaling hurdles faced by competitors like Waymo.