• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Grandma Is Terrified by Tesla Autopilot

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 14, 2016, 7:31 PM ET
Tesla Introduces Self-Driving Features With Software Upgrade
Elon Musk, chairman and chief executive officer of Tesla Motors, speaks during an event the company's headquarters in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015. Tesla Motors Inc. will begin rolling out the first version of its highly anticipated "autopilot" features to owners of its all-electric Model S sedan Thursday. Autopilot is a step toward the vision of autonomous or self-driving cars, and includes features like automatic lane changing and the ability of the Model S to parallel park for you. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBloomberg via Getty Images

Driving can be stressful, sure.

Getting behind the wheel of a self-driving car can be even more stressful for some people though. In a video clip that recently posted on YouTube (it has since been made private), an elderly woman yelps for dear life as she sits in the driver’s seat of a Tesla (TSLA) car while the company’s autopilot feature works its magic.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

“It’s scary!” she screams, arms raised. “Oh, there’s cars coming!”

“Owwoahhhhaaa” she exclaims, terrified, clutching clenched hands.

“Agh! Agh! Oooh! Where’s it going? God damn, Bill!” she blurts, petrified, over the giggles of her passenger (Bill, presumably).

Tesla’s autopilot feature is semi-autonomous, meaning it can automatically steer and change lanes on highways, but still sometimes requires a human to take control (especially in environments like city streets). Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk told Fortune at the end of last year that full autonomy—truly driverless cars—are approximately two years away.

When Fortune’s own Katie Fehrenbacher tested Tesla’s autopilot feature on its Model S car in the fall, she kept comparatively calm, though she conceded to being unsettled. “It’s a little bit scary, I must admit.” she said, narrating the experience while zipping (nay, being zipped?) down a freeway near Palo Alto, Calif.

Whether drivers are ready for it or not, every major automaker appears to be racing toward an autonomous future. Ford (F), Toyota (TM), and General Motors (GM) have all announced driverless car programs, while Tesla (TSLA), Google (GOOG) and reportedly Apple (AAPL) are at work on vehicles of their own.

“This is so scary,” the grandmother cries, resigning herself to a fate she neither can avoid nor control.

Can you blame her, dear reader?

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
C-Suite
OpenAI’s Sam Altman says his highly disciplined daily routine has ‘fallen to crap’—and now unwinds on weekends at a ranch with no cell phone service
By Jacqueline MunisFebruary 5, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Meet the Palm Beach billionaire who paid $2 million for a private White House visit with Trump
By Tristan BoveFebruary 3, 2026
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
Travel & Leisure
How Japan replaced France as the country young Americans obsessively romanticize—they’re longing for civility they don’t see at home
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 5, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Nestlé’s CEO drinks 8 coffees a day, but says Gen Z staffers are his secret to staying sharp by ‘learning constantly’
By Emma BurleighFebruary 5, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
After decades in the music industry, Pharrell Williams admits he never stops working: ‘If you do what you love everyday, you’ll get paid for free'
By Emma BurleighFebruary 3, 2026
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
Crypto
Bitcoin whales and ETFs are baling out of the market; UBS warns: ‘Crypto is not an asset’
By Jim EdwardsFebruary 6, 2026
20 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in Tech

CEO and co-founder of Anthropic Dario Amodei speaking on stage.
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s newest model excels at finding security vulnerabilities—but raises fresh cybersecurity risks
By Beatrice NolanFebruary 6, 2026
11 hours ago
Arts & EntertainmentSuper Bowl
Many 2026 Super Bowl ads share a common theme, revealing a truth about America’s current mindset
By Mae Anderson and The Associated PressFebruary 6, 2026
13 hours ago
Cybersecuritydeepfakes
In the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mom, AI deepfakes add to the mystery
By Barbara Ortutay, Ed White and The Associated PressFebruary 6, 2026
13 hours ago
Google data center
Big TechData centers
Big Tech’s $630 billion AI spree now rivals Sweden’s economy, unsettling investors: ‘We’ve never invested this much on anything before’
By Jake AngeloFebruary 6, 2026
13 hours ago
AISocial Network
Moltbook, the Reddit for bots, alarms the tech world as agents start their own religion and plot to overthrow humans
By Kaitlyn Huamani and The Associated PressFebruary 6, 2026
13 hours ago
AISpaceX
Musk predicts more AI capacity will be in orbit than on earth in 5 years, with SpaceX becoming a ‘hyper-hyper’ scaler
By Jason MaFebruary 6, 2026
13 hours ago