Trump’s DOT proposes new rules for driverless vehicles
26 June 2026
Dan O’Dowd comments on the DOT’s proposal to no longer require brake pedals in exclusively autonomous vehicles in Business Insider.
Press Highlights
Press highlights from The Dawn Project's campaign to make computers safe for humanity
Why Tesla’s AI trainers don’t trust its self-driving tech – or its safety stats
28 May 2026
Reuters covers The Dawn Project’s safety tests of Tesla FSD and Super Bowl commercials in its investigation into Tesla’s deceptive self-driving safety statistics.
Bay Area Tesla owner files lawsuit against the company over ‘self-driving’ car promises
23 April 2026
Dan O’Dowd interviewed about a Tesla owner’s lawsuit against the automaker over Elon Musk’s false promise of a self-driving car.
Why Fully Self-Driving Cars Are Almost Impossible
24 March 2026
Business Insider interviews Dan O’Dowd and covers The Dawn Project’s safety testing of Tesla FSD in its feature on self-driving vehicles.
The Tesla Influencers Leaving the ‘Cult’
16 March 2026
Dan O’Dowd interviewed by WIRED about Elon Musk’s cult of personality.
Stopping Safely At A Railroad Crossing Still Too Much For Tesla’s So-Called ‘Full Self-Driving’ Software
10 March 2026
Jalopnik covers The Dawn Project’s testing in its article on FSD blowing through railroad crossing barriers.
By Tesla’s own math, it reveals that its robotaxis are 4x worse at driving than humans, with redactions hiding even more details
26 February 2026
Dan O’Dowd comments in Fortune on the crash rate of Tesla’s so called Robotaxis.
Dan O’Dowd on falling Tesla sales
12 January 2026
Dan O’Dowd interviewed by NBC News about the dangers of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software.
Driverless cars promise a revolution. But can they handle the British weather?
28 December 2025
Dan O’Dowd profiled by The Telegraph as part of a feature on self-driving vehicles.
Is texting behind the wheel of a self-driving Tesla crazy?
27 December 2025
Dan O’Dowd interviewed by BBC news about Tesla’s defective driver monitoring system.
Tesla’s New ‘Mad Max’ Self-Driving Mode Keeps Blowing Speed Limits
24 October 2025
Dan O’Dowd comments on the dangers of Tesla’s new Mad Max mode in Rolling Stone.
Tesla’s Full-Self Driving Software Is A Mess. Should It Be Legal?
23 September 2025
The Dawn Project has conducted a ridealong with Forbes, demonstrating several critical safety defects in Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software.
NHTSA investigating why Tesla self-driving vehicle crashes were reported late
21 August 2025
Dan O’Dowd comments on NHTSA investigating Tesla for reporting crashes involving its self-driving software to the regulator late.
Elon Musk’s Self-Driving Tesla Lies Are Finally Catching Up To Him
20 August 2025
Dan O’Dowd comments on Elon Musk and Tesla’s deceptive marketing of Full Self-Driving.
Tesla ordered to pay $243m over Autopilot crash
1 August 2025
Dan O’Dowd comments on a Florida jury ruling that Tesla was liable for a fatal crash involving its Autopilot software.
Tesla’s Robotaxi Faces Scrutiny as Videos Trigger Safety Questions
2 July 2025
CNN interviews Dan O’Dowd on The Dawn Project’s campaign to ban Tesla Full Self-Driving.
Waymo Expands Its Robotaxi Service To Atlanta
24 June 2025
Forbes covers The Dawn Project’s summary of the safety errors already made by Tesla’s self-driving software following the launch of its Robotaxi service in Austin.
Tesla’s robotaxi service is set to debut today. Here’s what to know.
22 June 2025
CBS News discusses The Dawn Project’s campaign in light of Tesla’s Robotaxi service launch.
Musk launches Tesla AI robotaxi in Austin with flat fees under $5
21 June 2025
Dan O’Dowd interviewed by Fox Business on Tesla launching its Robotaxi.
Tesla invites select few to Texas robotaxi trial with front seat safety monitors
20 June 2025
The Dawn Project’s Austin school bus safety testing featured in Reuters.
Everything we know about Tesla’s robotaxi launch in Austin
20 June 2025
The Dawn Project’s live school bus safety testing of Tesla’s self-driving software covered by NBC News.
Dan O’Dowd: Tesla’s self-driving software ‘nowhere near done’
20 June 2025
Dan O’Dowd interviewed by CNBC on Tesla’s upcoming Robotaxi launch.
Tesla’s Robotaxi, Long Promised by Elon Musk, Joins a Crowded Field
18 June 2025
The Dawn Project’s live Austin safety tests of Tesla FSD covered by The New York Times.
Tesla Faces Protests in Austin Over Musk’s Robotaxi Plans
13 June 2025
CNBC reports on The Dawn Project’s live Austin safety tests of Tesla FSD.
Billionaire Alleges Tesla Testing Shows Vehicles Ignored Dangerous Conditions
12 June 2025
Dan O’Dowd interviewed by FOX Business about The Dawn Project and FSD’s critical safety defects.
Tesla Is Launching Robotaxis in Austin. Safety Advocates Are Concerned.
9 June 2025
Dan O’Dowd comments in Rolling Stone on Tesla’s robotaxi launch.
Elon Musk’s Tesla Robotaxi Rollout Looks Like A Disaster Waiting To Happen
16 May 2025
“It’s all lies.” Dan O’Dowd comments on Tesla’s Robotaxi launch in Forbes.
I tried the new self-driving Tesla — here’s what I thought
9 May 2025
“It will try to kill you.” Dan O’Dowd comments on Tesla Full Self-Driving in The Times.
‘Musk’s Involvement in Politics Could Be the Downfall of Tesla’
7 March 2025
Dan O’Dowd comments on Elon Musk damaging the Tesla brand in Rolling Stone.
US watchdog sticks probe into 2.6M Teslas over so-called Smart Summon crash reports
8 January 2025
“Actually Smart Summon and Full Self-Driving are defective engineering prototypes, and should not be allowed on the road,” Dan O’Dowd comments on Tesla’s self-driving systems in The Register.
Elon Musk’s riskiest bet yet
21 October 2024
“Musk believes that he is above the law.” Dan O’Dowd comments on Elon Musk’s contempt for regulators in the Financial Times.
Elon Musk Plays a Familiar Song: Robot Cars Are Coming
12 October 2024
“After over 10 years of Full Self-Driving development, Tesla is limited to a 20-30 acre geofenced 5mph 1950s Disneyland ride on a preprogrammed, premapped and heavily rehearsed route with no traffic and no pedestrians,” Dan O’Dowd said in a statement.
Trump campaign turns to secure hardware after hacking incident
11 October 2024
Reuters reports on Green Hills Software supplying unhackable technology to the Trump Campaign to protect election integrity and defend democracy.
I Took a Ride in a ‘Self-Driving’ Tesla and Never Once Felt Safe
19 August 2024
The tech in Elon Musk’s electric vehicles is supposed to prevent accidents, but in several cases, it nearly caused one.
AI Animosity: Software billionaire Dan O’Dowd is launching a new offensive in the fight over artificial intelligence
14 August 2024
Software billionaire Dan O’Dowd is launching a new offensive in the fight over artificial intelligence, today taking out full-page ads in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal that paint the technology as “snake oil” being peddled by high-powered grifters.
Elon Musk Bet Big on a Self-Driving ‘Robotaxi.’ Can Tesla Actually Build One?
19 July 2024
Dan O’Dowd, Founder of The Dawn Project, comments on Tesla’s continual failure to solve autonomous driving for the past decade in Rolling Stone.
Tesla sells ‘Self-Driving’ cars. Is it fraud?
11 July 2024
Founder of The Dawn Project Dan O’Dowd comments in The Washington Post on Elon Musk’s false promises about Tesla’s self-driving software.
Safety must come before the interests of Big Tech
13 June 2024
Founder of The Dawn Project Dan O’Dowd writes for The Times of London commenting on the passage of the UK Automated Vehicles Act, arguing that the United Kingdom is correct to place liability on the manufacturers of self-driving vehicles rather than adopting Tesla’s ‘blame the driver’ approach.
Tesla’s Autopilot linked to more crashes even after massive recall
26 April 2024
Founder of The Dawn Project Dan O’Dowd comments on NHTSA investigating whether Tesla’s December recall of its driver monitoring system was effective in The Washington Post.
Is Elon Musk still good for Tesla?
5 March 2024
Problems are piling up in Elon Musk’s empire, but the boss is undeterred. Some now see the eccentric multi-billionaire at the top as more of a liability than an asset. Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” software is immature and extremely dangerous, says O’Dowd. It drives the car “like a drunk teenager.” The billionaire has made this fight his mission.
Dawn Project Founder: Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature is dangerous
15 February 2024
Founder of The Dawn Project Dan O’Dowd joined Liz Claman on Fox Business to discuss The Dawn Project’s recent Super Bowl LVIII commercials and the dangers of Tesla’s self-driving software.
Self-driving car backlash: What you need to know
12 February 2024
Dan O’Dowd, The Dawn Project founder, joined ‘Power Lunch’ to discuss Tesla Autopilot safety concerns and public backlash.
Tesla didn’t run a Super Bowl ad. But a tech CEO calling for a boycott of the carmaker did
12 February 2024
“When you buy a new Tesla you are financing and enabling Elon Musk to put a dangerous, unfinished, product on our public roads,” The Dawn Project founder Dan O’Dowd told Business Insider.
‘Boycott Tesla’ ads to air during Super Bowl
11 February 2024
For a second year, Tesla critic Dan O’Dowd funds ad campaign criticizing the company’s driver-assistance software.
Tech CEO calls for Tesla boycott over self-driving capabilities in Super Bowl ad campaign
11 February 2024
“Tesla has failed time and time again to address the failings in its defective self-driving software,” O’Dowd said Sunday in a statement.
‘Boycott Tesla’ Super Bowl ads target self-driving technology
11 February 2024
A pair of Super Bowl ads went after Tesla’s self-driving technology on Sunday, asking viewers to boycott the company and claiming that its vehicles are unsafe. The Dawn Project’s ads follow a 2023 Super Bowl ad campaign, which featured an Autopilot-driven Tesla mowing down child-sized dummies in a parking lot.
Recalling almost every Tesla in America won’t fix safety issues, experts say
18 December 2023
Tesla critic Dan O’Dowd, who has pushed for the company’s software to be banned through his advocacy group the Dawn Project, said the recall fell short.
The California tech executive taking on Tesla
9 November 2023
O’Dowd is taking California lawmakers on the road — showing them what he says are the failures of the system’s safety features and urging them to take action.
Tech activist says his ‘teddy bear test’ proves Teslas are too lethal to be on the road
3 August 2023
It’s the latest salvo from activist organization the Dawn Project, which publishes videos aimed at showing how badly Tesla’s automated driving technology can behave. Dan O’Dowd, the wealthy, tech-savvy activist who founded and self-funds the Dawn Project, said he wants to ensure that “the safety-critical systems that everyone’s life depends on are fail-safe and can’t be hacked.”
Dan O’Dowd on Tesla Full Self-Driving: This software has ‘horrendous safety defects’
29 June 2023
Ross Gerber, Kawasaki Gerber president and Dan O’Dowd, Green Hills Software CEO, join ‘Power Lunch’ to discuss Tesla’s full self-driving controversy.
Twitter is “descending into an Elon-censored echo chamber” – Tesla critic BANNED from using Twitter Ads
10 July 2023
Elon Musk has been accused of “hypocritical” censorship after a top critic of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software was banned from using Twitter Ads.
“I disengaged” – Terrifying moment Tesla nearly blows past a stop sign into oncoming traffic during a test of its self-driving system in California
25 June 2023
This is the terrifying moment a self-driving Tesla in California nearly blew a stop sign and slammed into oncoming traffic.
“A product that tries to kill someone every hour should never be sold to consumers, let alone be allowed onto our public roads” – The Curious Case of Tesla’s Full Self Driving Software and the Confusing Corner
28 June 2023
“The results of our leisurely drive corroborate The Dawn Project’s previous findings, which show that Tesla’s Full Self Driving software sometimes does not register basic safety-critical road signs,” O’Dowd told Barron’s
One of Tesla’s biggest critics is funding a Super Bowl ad against it
11 February 2023
O’Dowd’s Super Bowl ad is the first volley in a broader new media campaign that will target lawmakers across the country.
“It’s actually pathetically bad technology” – Tesla CEO Elon Musk Is Betting the Farm on a Product That Doesn’t Work Yet
1 May 2023
O’Dowd said FSD has “so many bugs” and shouldn’t be shipped to drivers just because they are required to watch out and keep FSD from doing potentially dangerous things.
Tesla recalling 362,758 cars with Full Self-Driving mode due to crash risk
16 February 2023
The company has been under fire for years from critics who say using the software is a risk to public safety.
One critic even spent $600,000 on a Super Bowl commercial that ran in regional markets to show FSD Teslas running over child-size dummies.
Tesla issues recall of cars with ‘Full Self-Driving’ over crash risk
16 February 2023
Meanwhile, regulatory and public scrutiny has mounted since Full Self-Driving’s wide release: the Justice Department has requested documents related to Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, Tesla confirmed in a regulatory filing last month, and a Tesla critic funded a Super Bowl commercial highlighting alleged flaws with the software.
“Tesla’s Full Self-Driving is endangering the public with deceptive marketing and woefully inept engineering.” – Super Bowl ad slams Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ tech
13 February 2023
The commercial, which will be aired in Washington, DC, Austin, Tallahassee, Albany, Atlanta and Sacramento does not paint Tesla in the best light
California billionaire ramps up attack on Elon Musk’s Tesla with Super Bowl ad
13 February 2023
The ad is the latest in what has been a yearlong campaign by tech executive Dan O’Dowd to have Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology, or FSD, barred from the roads and push lawmakers to increase scrutiny of the technology’s safety
Watch the biggest ads from Super Bowl LVII
12 February 2023
The ad, funded by the organization Dawn Project, features videos of Tesla self-driving cars running over baby carriages and a mannequins of a child, as well as blowing past traffic signs and school buses
Super Bowl ad shows Elon Musk’s Tesla cars crashing and ‘killing children’
12 February 2023
A California tech entrepreneur has stepped up his campaign to ban Tesla’s planned full self-driving technology by taking out a television advert during Sunday night’s Super Bowl.
Tech billionaire wages war on ‘safety’ of self-driving Teslas
18 November 2022
Elon Musk has made many enemies but perhaps few are as determined as Dan O’Dowd.
The Tech CEO Spending Millions to Stop Elon Musk
13 November 2022
Dan O’Dowd says Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software shouldn’t be on the road. He’ll keep running over test dummies until someone listens.
Meet the Reclusive Software Billionaire Attacking Elon Musk
27 May 2022
Dan O’Dowd, a software entrepreneur in California, is running for Senate on a single-issue platform: Tesla’s self-driving software.
Tesla’s self-driving technology fails to detect children in the road, tests find
9 August 2022
Safe technology campaigners release ‘disturbing’ video advert showing car in Full Self-Driving mode hitting child-sized mannequin
Bill targeting Tesla’s ‘self-driving’ claims passes California Legislature
31 August 2022
In an interview with The Times, [Senate Transportation Committee Chair Lena] Gonzalez said she and fellow legislators are puzzled at the DMV’s slow response to Tesla’s advertising claims.
“Are we just going to wait for another person to be killed in California?” she said.
Why are Tesla fanatics putting their children in the path of moving cars?
23 August 2022
It is incredibly misleading to describe a driver-assist feature that requires an attentive human driver at all times in order to safely function as “full self-driving” technology
Tesla demands removal of video of cars hitting child-size mannequins
25 August 2022
Tesla is demanding an advocacy group take down videos of its vehicles striking child-size mannequins.
The commercial led to a surge of news articles and criticism of Tesla’s software, which is being tested in an early-release version by more than 100,000 users on public streets in countries including the United States and Canada. It also triggered blowback from Tesla supporters who said the test could have been manipulated. Some of them sought to re-create the demonstrations — sometimes involving real children — in an effort to show that Tesla’s software does actually work.
Tesla wants videos of its cars running over child dummies taken down by safety group
25 August 2022
The group, the Dawn Project, has launched a nationwide TV campaign warning of alleged potential dangers of what Tesla calls “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) software, adding to public and regulatory scrutiny of the technology.
Two lawmakers ask U.S. regulator about Tesla crashes, safety probes
11 August 2022
U.S. Senator Gary Peters and Representative Jan Schakowsky, both Democrats, said in the letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) they were concerned that “federal investigations and recent reporting have uncovered troubling safety issues” at Tesla.
Self-driving zealots should not put cars above people
15 August 2022
It was a request that raised eyebrows, even in the Tesla fan community: “Is there anyone in the Bay Area with a child who can run in front of my car on Full Self-Driving Beta to make a point? I promise I won’t run them over.”
Don’t Use Your Kids to Test Tesla’s Safety Features, NHTSA Warns
17 August 2022
US auto-safety regulators have a message for Tesla Inc. owners intending to use their children to test automated-driving technology: Don’t.
Tesla threatens to sue critic over ads showing its car hitting kid-sized mannequin
25 August 2022
O’Dowd said in a call with CNBC on Thursday: “I don’t care what he calls me. When is he going to acknowledge and fix the bugs that are in the system? These problems have been demonstrated. What he should do now is to disable FSD.”
YouTube removes video by Tesla investors using kids in FSD Beta test
19 August 2022
YouTube has removed a pair of videos from its platform which showed Tesla drivers conducting amateur vehicle safety tests using their own children in place of mannequins in the road or the driveway.
The tests were to determine if a slow-moving Tesla equipped with the company’s latest driver assistance systems would automatically avoid colliding with pedestrians — in this case children — walking or standing still in the road.
Elon Musk and Tesla Face a Surprise and Tough Opponent
26 August 2022
However, the billionaire and his company have been facing an unprecedented adversary for several days, whose attacks are likely to tarnish the reputation of their product of the future: the driver-assistance system.
‘Deeply disturbing’ video appears to show a Tesla in full self-driving mode repeatedly running over a child-sized mannequin in ‘controlled test conditions’
9 August 2022
A ‘deeply disturbing’ video claims to show a Tesla in full self-driving mode running over a child-size mannequin during a test by a safety campaign group.
California tech CEO and Tesla critic releases video showing the company’s Full Self-Driving system crashing into a child-sized mannequin
9 August 2022
Tesla’s autonomous driving system repeatedly crashed into a child-sized mannequin during a non-regulatory test published this week.
He wants to destroy Elon Musk. He could end up endangering the Dems’ Senate plans.
16 April 2022
A California software magnate is preparing to spend potentially millions of his own dollars on a brutal crusade to take down Elon Musk —and he’s doing it all as part of a quixotic and below-the-radar campaign for the U.S. Senate
California tech CEO and Tesla critic releases video showing the company’s Full Self-Driving system crashing into a child-sized mannequin
9 August 2022
A video shows a Tesla crashing into a child-sized mannequin while using Tesla Full Self-Driving.
The Dawn Project Pays for Test to Show FSD Doesn’t Brake for Kids
9 August 2022
The Dawn Project is airing TV ads starting on August 9 that shows clips of these tests and the results.
The Billionaire Running for US Senate to Ban Elon Musk’s Self-Driving Cars
2 May 2022
California Senate candidate Dan O’Dowd will not talk about taxes. Or homelessness. Or climate change. Or inflation. Or housing. Or jobs. All he will talk about is how much he hates Tesla’s self-driving cars and the existential threat computers pose to humanity.
California tech titan’s Senate run has one target: Tesla’s self-driving software
1 May 2022
Dan O’Dowd has bankrolled his own campaign to take a swing at what he calls Elon Musk’s ‘amazingly terrible’ technology.
A California tech CEO is running for US Senate on one issue: banning Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology
23 May 2022
California tech executive Dan O’Dowd is running for US Senate on one issue and one issue only — outlawing Tesla’s self-driving vehicles.
California tech billionaire targets Elon Musk in launch of Senate campaign
19 April 2022
California tech billionaire Dan O’Dowd announced a Democratic run for Senate on Tuesday in a campaign that will go after Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s self-driving cars.
This Tech CEO Says We’re Doomed If We Don’t Secure Teslas And Infrastructure, But Only He Knows How
10 March 2022
Dan O’Dowd was not widely known until on Jan 16, he purchased a full page ad in the Sunday New York Times titled “Don’t be a Tesla Crash-Test Dummy” which was extremely critical of the deployment of Tesla’s prototype “full” self-driving test, driven by ordinary customers.
Cybersecurity: ‘To cripple UK, Putin does not need nuclear weapons’
4 February 2022
The UK’s public sector needs to be “agile” in employing the government’s new cybersecurity strategy, according to analysts, amid fears of a Russian devised cyberattack.