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Elon Musk accused of astroturfing after SpaceX employees expressed support for Boring Co. project
In a rather bizarre turn of events, Elon Musk is now being accused of astroturfing after three SpaceX employees spoke in favor of The Boring Company’s proposed Dugout Loop project for Los Angeles. The Boring Company held its public review at the Dodgers Stadium yesterday, where it presented the concept of its high-speed tunnel system to residents in the area. Only around 50 people attended the event, and a handful opted to express their support for the project.
Independent filmmaker Erin Faulk, who goes by the @erinscafe handle on Twitter, attended The Boring Company’s public hearing. In a series of Twitter posts, Faulk pointed out the public hearing’s weak turnout, while also expressing her doubts about the proposed tunnel system. Faulk summarized her thoughts about the project in a statement to CNET.
“I thought it sounded kind of silly before, but now I’m convinced it’s ridiculous. The desperate attempts to show how it’s going to help people in Los Angeles are kind of transparent. It has such a narrow scope and use,” she said.
The independent filmmaker also discovered that several individuals who spoke in favor of the Boring Company’s proposed Dugout Loop were actually employees of SpaceX. Among these were Hailey Cockrum, a Materials Planner, and Chris Charhut, a Process Development Engineer. This connection with Elon Musk instantly incited controversy among members of the Twitterverse, some of whom accused Musk of astroturfing (compensating a group of individuals to give the impression that a project, idea, or person is enjoying widespread support) the public hearing. Being the controversy magnet that Musk’s name has unfortunately become as of late, it is somewhat unsurprising to see accusations of astroturfing being thrown his way.
“As Elon describes, traffic here is soul-crushing.”
There is no way Elon didn’t pay these people wtf is happening. pic.twitter.com/qBB4xJwzCn
— Scafe says wear a gd mask (@erinscafe) August 29, 2018
IS THIS REAL LIFE pic.twitter.com/TC11INnFEO
— Scafe says wear a gd mask (@erinscafe) August 29, 2018
While it is true that SpaceX employees did speak on the Boring Company’s public hearing, there is one little problem with the astroturfing accusation. The SpaceX employees who showed up and spoke at the event were LA residents. Thus, they were at Dodgers Stadium as private citizens and had every right to air their support for the Dugout Loop. The Boring Company provided a statement about the event through its official Twitter account, poking a little fun at the astroturfing accusation.
SpaceX employees spoke – not with our knowledge or at our urging – to offer support as private citizens. We‘d have asked them to identify themselves to avoid confusion if we had known. SpaceX has 5k employees in LA – if the goal was to astroturf, we’d have done a much better job!
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) August 29, 2018
The Dugout Loop and the Boring company might be getting mocked and bashed on social media after its recent public review, but the proposed project is actually getting some support from LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, who described the project as a “great example of public-private partnership.” Dodgers CFO Tucker Kain also aired his support for the project, stating that the team is entirely behind initiatives that would ultimately make it easier for baseball fans to get to a game.
The proposed Dugout Loop will begin at the Dodger Stadium property and run under Vin Scully Avenue and Sunset Boulevard, with starting points being set up at either Vermont/Sunset, Vermont/Santa Monica or Vermont/Beverly. The Boring Company aims to utilize the Dugout Loop as a support for the city’s Metro Red Line stations.
The tunneling startup would be using its Loop transport concept for the LA tunnel system. The Loop system uses electric pods which are designed to carry up to 16 people at a time. The Boring Company expects to charge $1 per person for every ride in the Loop system. Construction for the Dugout Loop is estimated to take about 14 months to complete. The project is also 100% privately funded, and thus, will be built at no expense to the city’s residents.
The Dugout Loop is, if any, a prototype project that just happens to have public utility as a pleasant side effect. The tunnel, after all, is just one of the Boring Company’s projects across the United States. In Chicago alone, the company is involved in a high-profile project that would see the tunneling startup attempt to develop a high-speed transport system connecting downtown Chicago to O’Hare airport.
The Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering (LABOE) posted a document covering some of the finer details of Boring Company’s proposed Dugout Loop project, which could be accessed here.
Tesla has extended its Bay Area ride-hailing service to include pickups and drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The update, shared via the company’s official channels on July 21, allows users in the region to request rides directly to and from one of California’s busiest airports.
The expansion builds on Tesla’s secured limousine permit for SFO operations. Public records show the permit became effective March 20, 2026, and remains active through January 31, 2027. Tesla vehicles operating the service now display authorized limousine permits issued by the City and County of San Francisco.
Our Bay Area rideshare service now goes to SFO ✈️
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s ride-hailing program in California relies on Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology. Human safety drivers remain present in compliance with state regulations, distinguishing the service from fully driverless operations.
The Bay Area geofence covers a broad area spanning north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, offering extensive connectivity across the region.
UPDATE: Elon Musk reveals why Tesla didn’t say ‘Robotaxi’ upon California launch
This SFO addition follows earlier progress at other Bay Area airports. Tesla previously expanded service to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in late 2025. The company had engaged with SFO, SJC, and Oakland International Airport officials as early as September 2025 to secure necessary approvals for passenger transport.
The service provides a new option for travelers seeking electric, app-based transportation integrated with Tesla’s ecosystem. Rides are booked through Tesla’s dedicated ride-hailing application, which handles matching, routing, and payments. Pricing follows standard ride-hailing models, with potential adjustments based on distance, time, and demand.
Tesla’s California ride-hailing program launched in July 2025 with an initial invite-only rollout in the Bay Area. It started alongside operations in Austin, Texas, marking the company’s second major U.S. market.
The Bay Area remains a primary focus in California, with service centered on high-demand corridors connecting residential, commercial, and now major transportation hubs. This latest airport integration represents a practical step in Tesla’s broader mobility ambitions within the state.
Tesla has officially revealed its 2026 Summer Update, which comes with a variety of crazy new features, including Navigation fixes that owners have been wanting for months.
Tesla routinely releases a larger update with the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter updates, where it ships a variety of new features, bug fixes, and other additions to customer cars.
The 2026 Spring Update featured things like “Hey Grok” voice assistance, a redesigned self-driving app, Unreal Engine visual upgrades, and more.
🚨 TESLA’S SUMMER UPDATE FOR 2026 IS HERE:
Featuring:
✅ Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
✅ Caraoke with Scoring
✅ Automatic Navigation
✅ Preferred Routes
✅ Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
✅ Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
✅ Rear Display Lock
✅ Other Improvements
🔌… https://t.co/C9IW3egEhH— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s Summer Release has about ten new features; we’ll show you each and detail them below:
New Grok Voice Commands
“Grok can now make phone calls, search and play music, adjust climate, open the glovebox, and answer questions about your Tesla.”
Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
“View and share self-driving stats from the mobile app.”
Caraoke With Scoring
“Caraoke now scores your singing while in Park. High scores are saved to your Tesla profile.”
Automatic Navigation
“Automatic Navigation now adapts to your routine.
In addition to Home, Work, and upcoming calendar events, your vehicle can now suggest and route to places you visit regularly – like a school drop-off on the way to work, or the gym on the way home.”
Preferred Routes
“For a more personalized experience, navigation now prioritizes routes that you’ve taken before”
Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
“Set your desired Arrival Energy from your phone.”
Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
“Skip the USB drive and upload a custom wrap of your car from the mobile app. Instructions for creating a custom wrap here: https://github.com/teslamotors/custom-wraps.”
Rear Display Lock
“Kids can watch content on the rear screen, but only the front row can control it through the rear screen app.”
Other Improvements
- Find Superchargers by name when searching for a destination
- Add Apple Music songs to queue from search and artist page
- Set your preferred zoom level for the Self-Driving visualization
- Intro animations for new Model 3 and Y
Tesla’s reason for Starlink integration on Cybercab might surprise you, as the company’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, finally shed some light on the reason they are putting a satellite internet terminal on its ride-hailing-geared vehicle.
On Monday, Tesla officially confirmed that it would integrate Starlink V5 terminals into Cybercab vehicles, something many Tesla fans had figured the company would do, as the vehicle is primarily geared toward giving rides without any passenger intervention.
Starlink V5 directly integrated in Cybercab pic.twitter.com/FxzTtzjB6I
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 20, 2026
The ability to access the internet would allow riders to work or play in the car with their devices. It seemed like a more-than-reasonable feature to add to the Cybercab, which made its way off the production lines for the first time earlier this year.
Tesla reveals first vehicle model to receive Starlink integration
However, the move is not for the rider, as Elluswamy confirmed on Monday night. Instead, it’s actually for Tesla to be able to have a constant connection to the cars in the Robotaxi fleet so it can troubleshoot issues, contact riders, or resolve other issues.
Elluswamy said:
“It is still not required for safe operation of the vehicle. Connectivity is primarily meant for navigation, customer service and, in general, fleet management.”
It is still not required for safe operation of the vehicle. Connectivity is primarily meant for navigation, customer service and, in general, fleet management.
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) July 20, 2026
Many initially assumed the option of constant connectivity would be enabled on the Cybercab for passenger entertainment or work. With the Cybercab, passengers won’t be doing anything but enjoying the ride, so it seemed more than logical that they would be hanging out with Starlink internet access as an amenity.
However, Tesla’s primary concern with Robotaxi is safety, and nailing these first unsupervised rides is a crucial step to setting a good narrative on how effective driverless transportation can be.
Being able to get in touch with passengers or a vehicle if something is wrong is a crucial part of the overall experience, and preventative measures are being taken by Tesla to ensure a smooth process, even in the worst-case.
Tesla expands ridesharing service in California to new hotspot
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
