Future of food and grocery delivery is your car as Tesla poses threat to Instacart, DoorDash, Uber Eats

The future of food and grocery delivery isn’t an app, rather it’s your car, according to Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I am frequently asked my opinion on what I think will happen in certain industries due to the advances in AI, robotics, autonomous vehicles, and changing consumer trends.”

“A topic of particular interest to many people is the future of food and groceries. Specifically, people are interested in the future of delivery. Will DoorDash acquire Instacart? Will DoorDash acquire Lyft? Will Waymo and Alphabet/Google acquire DoorDash? The questions are nearly endless.”

There are many different theories regarding what may happen. As for Ladd, he believes that companies like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Instacart will lose market share - not to competitors, but to Tesla owners. This is because Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability is on the verge of turning cars into personal delivery agents.

He commented: “Imagine this: You order takeout or groceries. Instead of paying a delivery fee or tipping a gig worker, you send your Tesla to pick it up. No driver. No waiting. No added cost. Just convenience, autonomy, and control. This will: Undercut third-party delivery fees; Increase customer loyalty to restaurants and grocers who allow curbside pickup; Reshape the economics of last mile logistics; Force platforms like Instacart and DoorDash to rethink their business models entirely.”

Don't have to be in Austin to try @Robotaxi ...

You can experience FSD in your own Tesla (under your supervision) – for effectively $3.33/day

🤖

— Tesla (@Tesla) June 23, 2025

Tesla isn’t just a car company. It’s a logistics company in disguise, he argues. The “personal autonomous courier” model could potentially become the most disruptive innovation in the $200 billion+ global food delivery industry. And the winners will be Tesla owners, with the losers being any delivery platform that depends on fees and freelancers to survive.

Ladd said: “The question isn't if this happens, it will happen. Tesla owners have a delivery fleet in their driveway that they can leverage for their own use, or lease to pickup and deliver food, groceries and passengers to customers for a fee, once FSD is approved on a larger scale. (If Tesla offers its FSD to other car companies, that will accelerate the demise of DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart.)”

“Tesla is an incredible company. It is going through a difficult period due to Elon Musk alienating half the planet and driving down sales. It is testing its RoboTaxi in Austin, TX, and there are apparent bugs in the system. However, no other car company has the potential of Tesla to decimate Uber, DoorDash, and Instacart. In addition, it can decimate Lyft, and the majority of rental car companies via a new hybrid model for car rentals exclusively using Tesla cars that can pick up a rental customer from an airport or their home.”

He concluded: “Uber wants a partnership with Tesla, to ensure that its RoboTaxis are on their platform. I think Tesla should become Uber. As for DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart...I have another prediction -- pain.”

DoorDash

DoorDash and Flytrex have announced the launch of a drone delivery service in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, expanding upon a pilot programme.

Customers in parts of Little Elm and Frisco can now order food from dozens of local and national restaurants, including from Papa Johns King Road location and The Brass Tap, between 8:00am and 9:30pm, with delivery via Flytrex’s autonomous drone fleet.

This marks Flytrex’s first third-party app integration, enabling customers to place orders directly through the DoorDash app. Eligible customers can select drone delivery at checkout, with orders prepared at restaurants and flown to their homes. The service currently reaches over 30,000 households and more than 100,000 residents, with additional sites launching soon.

DoorDash lays claim to the region’s most expansive drone operating hours and the highest payload capacity. Flytrex drones can carry up to 6.6 pounds - the largest in the region - and next-generation models will increase capacity to 8.8 pounds.

“The next phase of drone delivery is all about convenience, driven by expanded capabilities that unlock a broader range of use cases,” says Harrison Shih, Head of Product for DoorDash Labs.

“Larger payloads and longer operating hours allow us to serve more customers, more efficiently, than ever before. By expanding the operational envelope of autonomous delivery, we’re moving closer to making drone delivery a scalable, reliable option for everyday local commerce."

"Drone delivery offers suburban families exactly what they're looking for: speed, affordability, and convenience," says Yariv Bash, CEO and Co-founder at Flytrex. "Your food arrives hot or cold as intended, and you get contactless delivery right to your backyard. For busy families juggling work and activities, it's a game-changer that fits perfectly into your daily routine."