Ex-Tesla Autopilot Head Sterling Anderson Slams Vision-Only Self-Driving as 'Weird Religious Stance'

Sterling Anderson, who led Tesla's Autopilot program in 2015 and 2016 and is now GM's Chief Product Officer, has issued a sharp critique of Tesla's camera-only approach to self-driving. He called the decision to drop radar and rely solely on vision 'a weird religious stance that ignores physics.' This is the bluntest rebuke yet from someone who helped build the original Autopilot system. Anderson's comments come as Tesla pushes camera-only Cybercabs into driverless service in Austin, Texas. The timing highlights a growing industry divide over sensor strategy. Most automakers, including GM, combine cameras with radar and lidar for redundancy. Tesla argues that vision alone, paired with advanced AI, can match human perception. Anderson's physics-based objection suggests that cameras struggle in low visibility and adverse weather, where radar and lidar still perform. His insider perspective adds weight to the debate over whether Tesla's bet will pay off or leave it behind in the race to full autonomy. As Tesla expands its robotaxi ambitions, Anderson's warning may give competitors and regulators pause.