Death report from Tesla boss lets stock smear
No time right now?
Tesla shares fell on Friday. The reason could be the spread via various channels that Elon Musk died in an accident. Meanwhile, he is in the best of health.
Deceptively real-looking screenshots, supposedly from well-known online portals and news outlets, spread on social media on Friday. Elon Musk was killed in the explosion of a car battery at the Tesla plant, it said.
Rest in peace Elon Musk! You will be missed !!! #ripElon #ripMusk #ripElonMusk #ElonMusk @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/o6XVyQwWAD
– Caleb Kimmel (@cebkel) March 5, 2021
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Except for screenshots, no receipts
Then there was also a real-looking Tesla message to investors, in which the death of the CEO was confirmed. The ultimate proof should probably be a tweet from Musk’s life partner, the Canadian artist Grimes. She posted it on Twitter, but subsequently deleted it – probably out of sheer pain. However, it was possible to secure it beforehand, it said on social media. In fact, the tweet wasn’t posted by Grimes at all.
Musk partner Grimes allegedly dropped this tweet – it is fake. (Screenshot: Clean Technica)
Many Internet users believed the hoax. On Twitter, users gathered under the hashtag #RIPElon, primarily to express their compassion. But from the beginning there were also doubts about the story.
It quickly proved to be completely untrustworthy because no known news source picked up on the report. There were no more than a handful of screenshots as evidence of Musk’s alleged death.
The fact checker website Snopes quickly devoted a post to the hoax. Musk, Tesla or SpaceX did not comment on the rumors.
Should Tesla stock crash?
It is unclear why the misinformation was launched. It is conceivable that it could have been either a failed joke or an attempt to crash Tesla’s stock price. The latter think the colleagues of Clean Technica after further research for the most likely explanation. They are calling for an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission to clarify the matter.
If the price fall was actually the strategy behind the fake news, it could have worked for a short time on Friday. Possibly due to panic selling, Tesla stock had temporarily fallen to $ 540 but rebounded as quickly as it fell.
If the fall was intentional, the initiators would only have had a very narrow window of time to benefit from their hoax. It is also true, however, that the entire S&P 500 index showed a similar trend on Friday – albeit not with a very clear dip.
Tesla on Friday: The dip is clearly visible. (Screenshot: t3n)
Elon Musk lives and continues tweeting
Musk tweeted an emoji on Friday evening, which should be interpreted as a reaction to the false reports.
🙄
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2021
Should the emoji suggest a depressed mood, Musk soon found his way back to the old form.
Doge spelled backwards is Egod
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2021
Later on Friday evening, Musk tweeted again about one of his two favorite cryptocurrencies – in this case the Dogecoin. The style and content make the tweet look authentic and Musk come alive – should anyone still attach a conspiracy tale …
