Throughout 2024, a persistent chatter resonated across the YouTube platform, fueled by the baseless assumption that SpaceX and Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, had acquired several multinational corporations, including McDonald’s and Amazon. This narrative took a new twist towards the end of the year when it was alleged that Musk had bought over the aircraft manufacturing giant, Boeing.
The origin of this rumor traces back to the closing weeks of 2024 when a torrent of misinformation started circulating online, suggesting that Musk had taken over the reins of the illustrious aerospace firm, Boeing. This conjecture gained momentum and spread through various digital platforms, causing a speculative buzz among netizens.
Elon Musk, popularly known as the tech titan, has his plate full mastering roles as SpaceX’s statesman, where he oversees the operation and growth of the private space exploration company, as well as steering Tesla towards a sustainable energy future. His technological empire also includes the ownership of a social media platform labeled as X.
Propelling these rumors into the limelight, a YouTube user presented a video on November 1 titled ‘Elon Musk JUST Bought Boeing & DESTROYS All Competition!.’ The video quickly amassed attention and views, and soon other channels began reiterating the same baseless claim in their own productions.
Though many took the video with a grain of skepticism, others were quickly swayed by the hypothesis. The comments section under the video told a tale of viewers who wholeheartedly bought into this narrative. Echoes of positive sentiments regarding Musk’s alleged acquisition resonated as they commended his audacious move and his reputation as a trailblazing innovator.
‘Musk is a game-changer, a brilliant individual, a genuine American leader and genius,’ one user remarked under a video pushing the rumor. Another conveyed their approval by commenting, ‘This seems like a stellar move for Musk.’
Interestingly, apart from expressing their admiration for Musk’s alleged business maneuver, several users admitted that the news served as a catalyst for potential investment in Boeing stocks. However, the excitement and enthusiasm exhibited by these individuals were rooted in falsehoods.
Contrary to the widespread belief, the rumor of Musk’s acquisition of Boeing turned out to be completely unfounded. These videos, despite their proliferation, were merely a continuation of an extensive series of misinformation alleging that Musk had confirmed buying other leading companies, such as McDonald’s and Ford.
It is worth noting that a majority of these videos disseminating such rumors showcased evidence of Artificial Intelligence in their creation. From audio narratives and editing to the selection of visuals, several components of this content bore the hallmark of AI-assisted production and scripting.
On the 20th of December, the once buzzing video promoting the rumor was rendered inaccessible. YouTube users who revisited the channel only encountered a message saying ‘This video is no longer available’ with the link leading to the video of the rumor.
Attempting to unearth any remnants of this misleading clip, we turned to various search engines. The quest for this content yielded minimal results, with only faint traces of the video being discovered in some search outcome.
The removal of this infamous video channel harked back to a similar instance. An earlier channel that had made headlines for its false assertion about Musk purchasing Amazon had also met the same fate. Both served as case studies to illustrate the extent of unchecked inaccuracies.