What Happened?

Shares of electric vehicle pioneer Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) jumped 4.9% in the afternoon session as investors continued to focus on the long-term potential of the company’s autonomous driving technology. 

According to Barron’s, Tesla’s stock price remains closely tied to its efforts to tap into the massive self-driving market and secure regulatory approvals for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. While recent updates to the FSD system have shown improvements in smoothness and decision-making, beta testers have highlighted persistent weaknesses, particularly the system’s inability to effectively detect and navigate around potholes and road debris.

However, investors appear willing to look past these near-term technical…