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January 18, 2026, 11:20 AM EST. Tesla will stop selling Full Self-Driving (FSD) as a one-time purchase and offer it only as a monthly subscription, effective Feb. 14, Elon Musk said. The change underscores a broader shift toward recurring revenue that tech companies prefer for monetizing new features. Musk once described FSD as an "appreciating asset," but the pricing move ties software to ongoing payments and supports Tesla's ambition to run a fleet of autonomous vehicles as an AI and robotics platform. The policy taps into robotaxi concepts and aligns with rivals pursuing robots-as-a-service models. Critics point to customer pushback against recurring add-ons and the data-collection implications of connected-car software. Regulators have scrutinized subscription practices in tech, including Prime and other services, highlighting the changing economics of owning vs. renting software.