My Tesla Ignored the Map. Twice. To Take Me to the Same Homeless Man.

The Cybertruck had a mind of its own.

Let me tell you something that still blows my mind. I’ve been driving Teslas since 2016. My first was a Model X, then a Model S Plaid, and now my Cybertruck. I was an early beta tester for Full Self-Driving, and I use it more than 95% of the time. It’s always been rock-solid for me. Never once has it ignored the navigation and gone off course. Until it did. Twice. To the exact same stranger.

A little over a month ago I left a doctor’s appointment, punched in my destination, and let FSD take the wheel. The truck backed out of the parking spot, but instead of turning right toward the main road where it should have gone, it went left, winding through the parking lot like it had somewhere else to be. As I came around behind the Chick-fil-A, I spotted an older gentleman digging through the dumpster. Something told me to circle back. I found him, rolled down the window, and introduced myself. His name is Sal. Smart, well-spoken, in his sixties. He used to manage a hotel until serious illness put him in the hospital again and again. The bills quietly drained his savings. When he recovered, no one would hire a man his age. He lost his place and ended up sleeping on a park bench. We talked for nearly 45 minutes right there in the parking lot. I offered him some money, and he immediately said, “That’s not my money, that’s money for your family.” I told him, “You are my family.” After coaxing him several times, he finally accepted it. I gave him one of my thick metal business cards with just my name and phone number. I told him if the police ever gave him a hard time, he should show them the card and ask them to call me and tell them I am your friend. Before we parted, I mentioned Loaves and Fishes, the food pantry in Apopka where I am a volunteer, and offered to drive him there anytime. He indicated that he would be able to find his way there. When I asked if we could meet up for lunch sometime, he smiled and said it was a little early in our relationship. We both smiled.

Fast-forward to two weeks later. I was dragging my feet about going to the gym. I kept putting it off until it was almost too late. Something told me to go anyway. I went, but I cut my normal workout short for no reason at all, got back in the truck, and told it to take me home. The navigation screen clearly said “stay straight,” but right as I was approaching the intersection, the Cybertruck suddenly turned left - back into that same parking lot. It wandered around for several minutes like it was searching for something, but it never parked. I was in total disbelief wondering what it was doing. Then, all of a sudden, it headed for the exact exit I avoid because there always is heavy traffic to cut through to turn left. When I got there, the road was completely clear in both directions. There was not a car in sight, and right ahead of me was Sal. He was halfway across the road in the direction I was going. I took over the driving, pulled into a side street, and by the time I opened my door, Sal was already standing behind the truck. He recognized it immediately. I jumped out and told him, “Sal, you’re not gonna believe this - my truck completely ignored the map and drove me straight to you. In all these years of FSD, it has never done that before.” He smiled and said, “You know, it’s funny you say that, because I was feeling pretty down today… and seeing you just made my whole day.” We chatted for quite a while, and we talked about the next time we might accidentally meet up.

I still don’t have a logical explanation. All I know is that a Tesla that’s supposed to follow a map decided to rewrite the route. Twice. Sal, if you ever see this, lunch is still on me, brother. And thank you for reminding me what real kindness looks like.

If this story resonated with you and you would like to know more about the person behind Rachiele® Custom Sinks, I invite you to read about what guides my company at rachiele.com/guided-by-empathy.