Tesla misses profit forecasts, reports negative free cash flow as AI spending surges

Tesla had a quarter that looked great on the top line and uncomfortable everywhere else. The company posted record revenue of $28.24B in Q2 2026, blew past analyst expectations, and delivered more cars than ever before. Then investors looked at the bottom of the income statement and started selling. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.33, against Wall Street projections of $0.50 to $0.53. Free cash flow swung to negative $1.1B, the first deficit the company has recorded in over two years. Shares dropped more than 4% in after-hours trading. What the numbers actually say Start with the good news, because there is some. Vehicle deliveries hit 480,126 units in the quarter, a 25% increase year-over-year. Automotive revenue reached $20.52B, up 23% from the same period last year. The energy segment kept growing too, with storage deployments reaching 13.5 GWh. Here’s the problem: profitability moved in the opposite direction. GAAP net income fell 5% year-over-year to $1.11B, and gross margins compressed to 16.8%. The company is selling more cars and making less money per car. Free cash flow tells the starker story. In Q1 2026, Tesla generated $1.44B in free cash flow. In Q2 2025, it ...