We now know the news behind Elon Musk’s cryptic tweets. Some of them, at least.
But before Thursday’s announcements that Tesla Inc. was finally prepared to deliver a Model 3 priced for the mass market, that ordering was moving to online only, and that the company probably won’t be profitable in the first quarter, online sleuths were taking their best guesses as to what exactly the unpredictable billionaire had in store.
Some of the most entertaining guesses hinged on the chief executive officer changing his name on Twitter to “Elon Tusk,” with an accompanying elephant emoji.
Reddit users speculated the switch may have been alluding to a frequent refrain from another famous billionaire: Warren Buffett. The Berkshire Hathaway Inc. CEO wrote in his annual letter to investors last week that he continued to seek an “ elephant-sized acquisition.” Another theory on Twitter was that Musk would announce a factory in India.
It turns out the name change was meaningless. When asked about the new nom de plume on a call with reporters Thursday, Musk responded: “I was just playing the fool on Twitter.”
- Meet TIME’s Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
- After Visiting Both Ends of the Earth, I Realized How Much Trouble We’re In
- Google Is Making It Easier to Remove Personal Info From Search
- Oil Companies Posted Huge Profits. Here’s Where The Cash Will Go (Hint: Not Climate)
- Column: We Asked Hundreds of Americans About Abortion. Their Feelings Were Complicated
- A Short History of the Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of the Marcos Family
- Long-Lasting Birth Control Is Already Hard to Get. Advocates Worry It May Only Get Worse
- Who Should Be on the 2022 TIME100? Vote Now
