Op-Ed: Elon Musk mistook Twitter for the real world
Elon Musk is the latest entrepreneur to find himself in the crosshairs of Twitter. When Musk first tweeted about his Falcon 1 rocket on March 6, he had only 13 followers. Now, he has more than 80,000, many of whom follow him on a daily basis. The reason he is suddenly one of the most popular public figures on Twitter is that he has been using his Twitter account to spread false information. Here are six things he has recently tweeted that make his followers wonder.
1. He Tweeted to His Own Followers That Tesla Motors Is Actually Disappearing
The first thing Musk posted on March 6 was, “I don’t think there’s been a better time to sell Tesla.” This was followed by a link to the Tesla Motors website, followed by the bold statement, “It feels like we started selling a car and then we stopped. Now we’re getting rid of it.” That was followed by another tweet that stated, “Tesla no longer exists. Long live Tesla. Long live Tesla.” The Twitter account of Tesla Motors responded, “We are aware there has been misinformation in this tweet, and we are looking into it.” But Musk hadn’t contacted the Tesla Motors company to check out the information he had posted to Facebook.
2. He Tweeted That His Model S had a “Dramatic Underhood Explosion.”
Then Musk tweeted on March 10 that his 2013 hybrid-electric Tesla Roadster “had a dramatic underhood explosion,” a claim that was later backed up by Tesla Motors. The tweet stated, “The interior of my car exploded at high speed, filling the car with smoke, and starting a fire within seconds. I would guess under-hood. Tesla Model S.” Later, another tweet stated, “The Model S burst into flames within seconds of driving off the assembly line. The car caught fire immediately, and burned for two hours. As the Model S burst into flames after taking a single wrong turn
