Tesla's third-quarter profit fell 43% year-over-year to $787 million, compared to $1.37 billion in the same period last year. The company invested heavily in the research and development of its humanoid robot Optimus and autonomous taxi Cybercab, leading to a 69% surge in R&D expenses to $2.76 billion and a doubling of capital expenditures to $4.73 billion. Tesla stated on Wednesday that the Optimus robot has entered production, and it plans to deliver Cybercab autonomous taxis to customers by the end of this year. Additionally, Musk revealed on Tuesday during SpaceX's earnings call that the boards of Tesla and SpaceX have each formed independent special committees of directors to explore a potential merger between the two companies, though no terms have been reached yet.