A Tesla attorney said that the Reuters information request would disclose 'Tesla’s deployment procedure, process, status, and strategy,' and would thereby 'irreparably harm Tesla.'

Musk has staked Tesla’s future on self-driving vehicles he has promised for a decade but hasn’t delivered, making Austin's robotaxi launch closely watched as a potential milestone.

Tesla would need to grow earnings at a very high rate over an extended span to justify its current stock multiple.