Latest news with #bighuey313
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Gizmodo
A Viral Cybertruck Hoax Got So Big, Tesla Had to Break Its Silence
Elon Musk has always wanted the Cybertruck to be the vehicle everyone talks about. After a bizarre video went viral over the weekend, he got his wish, just not in the way he intended. The rumor grew so outlandish and spread so far that Tesla, a company that famously doesn't have a public relations department, was forced to do something it rarely does: publicly deny it. The incident highlights the Cybertruck's strange and precarious position. It's a vehicle so polarizing and so relentlessly hyped by its creator that it has become a magnet for controversy and, now, viral hoaxes. The drama started on Sunday when a user named 'bighuey313' posted a frantic video on Instagram from the driver's seat of his supposedly stranded Cybertruck. 'Wtf I'm in the middle of traffic, bro,' the user says, panning his camera over a dashboard screen displaying an alarming message: 'Tesla Cybertruck De-Activated. Critical Issue Detected | Contact Customer Service, Comply with Cease & Desist to Re-Activate.' 'Everything is locked. Cybertruck deactivated,' he continues. 'I can't move the car, bro, I'm stranded as f**k.' In a follow-up post, the user shared a photo of a supposed 'cease and desist' letter from Tesla, claiming the company was taking legal action against him for writing a song titled 'Cybertruck.' The implication was terrifying: Tesla had remotely disabled his vehicle over a minor legal dispute. He also claims Tesla sent him a cease and desist letter because he made a song titled Cybertruck or something like that. That's why the error message in the video mentions a cease and desist. 🤣 — Jeremy Judkins (@jeremyjudkins_) August 11, 2025The video exploded across every major social platform. But as it spread, eagle-eyed users began pointing out inconsistencies, noting that the signature on the letter was from a Tesla lawyer who no longer used that title. The rumor became so damaging that on Monday, Tesla's official account on X posted a rare, direct denial. 'This is fake – that's not our screen,' Tesla wrote. 'Tesla does NOT disable vehicles remotely.' This is fake – that's not our screen. Tesla does NOT disable vehicles remotely. — Tesla (@Tesla) August 11, 2025The fact that Tesla had to respond at all speaks to the Cybertruck's troubled reputation. As Gizmodo has previously reported, the sci-fi pickup has been a commercial bust. Its new vehicle sales plunged by over 50% in the second quarter, and its resale value has crashed by more than 30% in the used car market. This reality is a stark contrast to the relentless hype from Musk, who has called the truck 'apocalypse-level safe' and 'built bullet tough.' This combination of high-profile hype and real-world failure has made the Cybertruck a perfect target. People are primed to believe the worst about it, and the idea of a powerful, faceless corporation remotely disabling a customer's vehicle taps into the deepest fears of EV skeptics. For Tesla, the stakes were too high to ignore. While the recent, last-minute rush for expiring EV tax credits has given the Cybertruck a temporary sales pulse, its long-term viability is still in question. A viral rumor about the company having a remote 'kill switch' is the last thing a struggling brand needs. The entire saga shows that the Cybertruck is a cultural lightning rod, and Tesla will be forced to keep putting out the fires it inevitably creates. For a truck that's already struggling to win over buyers — and is increasingly viewed as a commercial flop — even a fake viral story can further erode its image.
The Verge
11-08-2025
- Automotive
- The Verge
That viral video of a ‘deactivated' Tesla Cybertruck is a fake
Did Tesla remotely deactivate a Cybertruck in the middle of a highway because the owner featured it in an unauthorized music video? The story already seemed highly unlikely, and on Monday afternoon, Tesla tweeted about the video, saying, 'This is fake – that's not our screen. Tesla does NOT disable vehicles remotely.' On Sunday, Instagram user @bighuey313 posted a video of his supposed deactivated Cybertruck, complete with a flashing red warning message on the truck's main touchscreen. 'Dog wtf my cybertruck just shut off on the freeway! 😡' he wrote in the caption. 'Almost just crashed wtf @teslamotors.' The owner also posted an image of what he claimed was a cease-and-desist letter from Tesla's vice president of legal affairs, Dinna Eskin. The letter cites 'unauthorized use of Tesla's intellectual property in musical content distributed under your name.' The video quickly went viral on BlueSky, where anti-Elon Musk sentiment has helped fuel nationwide protests against Tesla. But users quickly noticed a number of discrepancies, such as the fact that the letter opens 'We represent Tesla' despite being signed by the company's in-house counsel. The letter also uses Eskin's old title, 'Sr. Director and Deputy General Counsel,' despite her current title of VP. And the warning message isn't formatted like Tesla's typical in-vehicle alerts and notifications. An X user speculated that the flashing red title was likely just a YouTube video playing on fullscreen to simulate a legitimate error. Despite these issues, the video went viral on BlueSky, X, and Reddit — and likely will continue to travel far and wide, confirming many people's prior opinions about Tesla and Elon Musk. Update August 11th: Tesla posted on X confirming the video is fake. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Andrew J. Hawkins Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Electric Cars Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tesla Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Transportation
The Verge
11-08-2025
- Automotive
- The Verge
The viral video of a ‘deactivated' Tesla Cybertruck is most likely fake
Did Tesla remotely deactivate a Cybertruck in the middle of a highway because the owner featured it in an unauthorized music video? It's highly unlikely. On Sunday, Instagram user @bighuey313 posted a video of his supposed deactivated Cybertruck, complete with a flashing red warning message on the truck's main touchscreen. 'Dog wtf my cybertruck just shut off on the freeway! 😡' he wrote in the caption. 'Almost just crashed wtf @teslamotors.' The owner also posted an image of what he claimed was a cease-and-desist letter from Tesla's vice president of legal affairs, Dinna Eskin. The letter cites 'unauthorized use of Tesla's intellectual property in musical content distributed under your name.' The video quickly went viral on BlueSky, where anti-Elon Musk sentiment has helped fuel nationwide protests against Tesla. But users quickly noticed a number of discrepancies, such as the fact that the letter opens 'We represent Tesla' despite being signed by the company's in-house counsel. The letter also uses Eskin's old title, 'Sr. Director and Deputy General Counsel,' despite her current title of VP. And the warning message isn't formatted like Tesla's typical in-vehicle alerts and notifications. An X user speculated that the flashing red title was likely just a YouTube video playing on fullscreen to simulate a legitimate error. Despite these issues, the video went viral on BlueSky, X, and Reddit — and likely will continue to travel far and wide, confirming many people's prior opinions about Tesla and Elon from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Andrew J. Hawkins Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Electric Cars Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tesla Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Transportation
