Elon Musk

Did the United States Space Force and Elon Musk's SpaceX release a joint statement in April 2025, warning that an imminent revelation would "change your entire life"? No, that's not true: Contrary to social media posts, which also referred to a non-existent "Galactic Federation", neither entity made any such statement. In October 2024, an account that promotes the discredited QAnon…

Did tech billionaire Elon Musk "step in" to take care of an infant left behind by its parents? No, that's not true: The viral rumor originated from AI generated images coupled with AI generated text. As of April 15, 2025, no credible media outlet reported the purported event. The claim reappeared a post (archived here) published on Facebook on April…

Did Elon Musk use a Neuralink implant to save the life of a boy named "Tristan Killip", who had been comatose for a year after a drowning accident? No, that's not true: The story, shared widely in April 2025, was no more than fantasy fiction, and news archives contained no trace of a purported press conference featuring Musk and the…

Do viral posts tell a real-life story about Elon Musk meeting Keanu Reeves in a heated televised exchange in 2025? No, that's not true: No credible media outlet reported such a debate, as of April 9, 2025. Many of the social media posts about the supposed confrontation resorted to the apparent use of generative AI to make images that barely…

Did Representative Jasmine Crockett "conveniently overlook" social security checks going to her dead grandmother for 13 years and did this come out during a DOGE audit? No, that's not true: A meme making that claim originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content…

Did Elon Musk say in a post on X that DOGE had uncovered "tens of millions of dollars spent on golf by a single government official"? No, that's not true: What appeared to be screenshots of a March 16, 2025, post by Musk to that effect were in fact digital fabrications. The fake post appeared to be a satirical allusion…

Did Wisconsin run out of ballots in Republican-leaning "red areas" on the day of the State Supreme Court election on April 1, 2025? No, that's not true: The shortage affected only the City of Milwaukee, election officials told Lead Stories. In the last three federal elections, the city supported Democratic candidates. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…

Did investor Warren Buffett pay $1 trillion in cash to acquire Elon Musk's Tesla Motors company? No, that's not true: The story originated as an April Fools joke and went viral online. No actual news websites reported on any such investment or acquisition. The story appeared as an article (archived here) on GoBankingRates on April 1, 2025 titled "Warren Buffett…

It's that day of the year again! April Fools' Day is upon us. We're keeping a running list of the online jokes we spot this year. Seen one we missed? Email [email protected] and let us know! Flightradar24 Airplane tracking website Flightradar24 revived the supersonic Concorde aircraft and made one fly from London to New York, currently being tracked by over…

Is "leaked" audio of Elon Musk telling President Donald Trump that "Tesla is going down" authentic? No, that's not true: Five tests included in the University at Buffalo Media Forensic Lab's Deepfake-O-Meter rated probability that the audio file is AI-generated at between 97.8 to 100 percent. The posts promoting the audio as real do not include any supporting evidence. The…