News
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 Cybertruck’s three configurations are all the same on the outside from an appearance perspective, but they differ slightly in price, range, performance, and other features. After yesterday’s price adjustment, Tesla’s Base All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck is now priced at $74,990, a far cry from the $59,990 it started at several months ago.
At $60,000, the Cybertruck All-Wheel-Drive is a steal: no pickup, electric or gas-powered, comes close in terms of overall driving capability thanks to Steer-by-Wire; no truck is more fun to drive at that price, and add in Full Self-Driving for $99 per month, and you truly have the best possible pickup on the market, at least if you’re planning to use it for driving.
I unfortunately didn’t have the equipment to test towing and payload and how it impacts the truck.
But at $75,000, is it still worth it? Obviously, the question gets to be more difficult because of the $15,000 difference. But there’s still an argument.
I spent the last week with this awesome truck, and when I took it back, I was sad because it truly is the best Tesla in the lineup. I formerly said the Model S was my favorite Tesla, but after a week with Cybertruck, I can easily say it would be my choice over the now-defunct all-electric sedan.
What makes it so great? Well, a lot of things, and there are some things that I’d like to see change. However, this is a truck that truly has a serious argument for those who are thinking of trying something completely different.
Exterior and Interior
This build comes with 18″ Molten Wheels as the standard offering, but 20″ Core Wheels with 35″ tires are also available. The standard wheel option on this affordable model is not my favorite, but it can be easily swapped for something more attractive.
Overall, this particular build did have some panel gap issues that were especially noticeable between the hood and both front quarter panels. This is obviously not an “across the board” issue, as the Cyberbeast I took home for comparative reasons was significantly better overall.
It’s 📐 week. Cybertruck AWD!!! pic.twitter.com/0hkmTQDQYk
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 19, 2026
The interior is different, with its textile material instead of the vegan leather. Personally, I missed the leather due to the ventilated seats, but I prefer the textile as I personally felt like they were more comfortable. This is something I’d definitely consider if I were between the three trim levels and money was not really an issue.
After 610 miles on Monday in this thing, I did not feel any different than I did when I left my house that morning. It feels like a living room on wheels; after a long drive, you truly do not feel as if you’ve been in a car all day long.
My biggest interior complaints were that I’d like at least two USB-C ports in the front; you are confined to just one, and it’s hidden in the center console. The rear row has two ports. Additionally, the windshield is super difficult to clean, so if you end up buying one of these, save your back and get something that extends.
Driving Performance and Comfort
One of the most surprising things about Cybertruck is the fact that it is perhaps the smoothest ride of any Tesla available. Most believe it might be rough, stiff, and rugged like most trucks, maybe not as forgiving on the back and bottom as you sit in it for an extended period of time.
I’m here to tell you, you won’t regret sitting in a Cybertruck for a long drive.
I put as many people who dislike EVs, don’t like Cybertrucks, or use trucks for work, and judge the Cybertruck in this thing in the past week. Every single person who got in this truck loved it: they loved the speed, the handling, FSD, the space, the capability, and the feel.
As previously noted, even after hundreds of miles and 14 hours spent driving around Pennsylvania, I didn’t feel tired, exhausted, or in any hurry to come home. I would have driven another 300 miles without question.
Final Thoughts
If I had my choice of the three Cybertruck trims, I think I’d take the All-Wheel-Drive for a few reasons. Initially, the price is more attractive, it is not that stripped of features, and it has everything I need.
Is it worth it at $75,000? I believe it is. I’ve driven trucks that are at a higher price point and consider this to be a better product from a driving and experience perspective. However, other pickups on the market have more towing capacity, payload capacity, and range. They do not have FSD or steer-by-wire, the two things that truly make the Cybertruck in a league of its own.
I can’t think of a time in recent memory that I’ve been this excited to drive a vehicle each day, and I literally look for excuses to drive my Model Y on a daily basis. This Cybertruck just blows the Model Y out of the water in every possible way, at least in my opinion. With the size, performance, and driving experience, there is no better Tesla out there.
You can check out the full video review below. If you have any questions about the Cybertruck AWD, be sure to reach out and let me know:
🚨FULL REVIEW of the unbelievable Tesla Cybertruck AWD 📐 pic.twitter.com/S0wHALl87K
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 26, 2026
Elon Musk
County vote hands Elon Musk’s Vegas tunnel network a huge new target
Clark County approved 19 more Vegas Loop stations, pushing Boring Company’s entitled total to 123.
The Boring Company just got permission to nearly double how far Vegas Loop can reach. Clark County commissioners approved 19 additional stations for the underground transit system, bringing the total entitled to 123, the company said in a post on X thanking the county for the vote. Elon Musk’s tunneling company also flagged the direction it sees the project heading long term. “Because Loop is point-to-point with no intermediate stops, in the limit, one could have a Loop station in every driveway,” the company wrote.
That framing captures how far the ambitions have moved. The Vegas Loop opened its first stretch of tunnel in 2021 and has grown its footprint through a string of county approvals since. In 2023, commissioners signed off on 18 additional stations, part of a plan that later doubled the system’s target to 69 stations across 65 miles. By the end of that year the company was describing a build out closer to 93 planned stations. Last year the long term design called for 104 stations across 68 miles of tunnel. The new approval pushes that number to 123, another jump in a project that keeps outgrowing its own blueprints.
The Boring Company gets approval for more stations in Las Vegas
Station count on paper is still well ahead of what riders can actually use. As Teslarati reported earlier this month, the network has about 11 open stations and has carried more than 4 million passengers since it began running, with newer stops at Fontainebleau and Sahara among the latest additions to the Strip corridor. A tunnel connection to Harry Reid International Airport remains under construction and has already slipped past its original first quarter target. The company is also racing to finish a Westgate to Paradise Road segment that Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill has said it hopes to have running in time for November’s Formula 1 race.
The gap between entitled stations and operating ones is where the real story sits. Regulatory approval gives Boring Company the legal runway to keep tunneling toward new resorts, residential pockets and eventually the airport, but building each connection still comes down to boring machines, fire safety sign offs and construction timelines that have slipped before. The company’s Prufrock series machines set an internal record in March with a 2.28 mile tunnel near Westgate, evidence that construction has been picking up even as the list of approved destinations grows faster than the tunnels themselves.
Musk’s driveway comment reads as aspirational rather than a near term plan, but it fits how Boring Company has talked about Vegas Loop from the start: treat every approval as a floor, not a ceiling, and keep pushing county officials for room to dig.
SpaceX announced today that it would expand its launch capabilities into a new U.S. state: Louisiana.
Today, SpaceX, in conjunction with the Louisiana Economic Development Office, said that it will establish a new launch facility, which it will call Starbase, Louisiana. It will be located near Vermilion Parish, supporting thousands of launches each year, at least eventually.
CEO Elon Musk commented by stating, “Starbase Louisiana will ultimately have over a dozen launch towers, enabling more than 30 Starship flights per day and making it the biggest launch site on Earth!”
Starbase Louisiana will ultimately have over a dozen launch towers, enabling more than 30 Starship flights per day and making it the biggest launch site on Earth!
SpaceX makes sci-fi real. https://t.co/C7Ht0U12ba
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2026
The expansion is SpaceX’s latest move to push its launch cadence to be more frequent than ever. SpaceX said that Starbase, Louisiana, will be built to “support thousands of Starship flights a year,” with the first coming in 2029.
SpaceX announced the new facility in partnership with the Louisiana Economic Development Office as it will bring a major influx of jobs and investments into the area. Currently, it will produce more than 3,000 new jobs in Louisiana, and SpaceX plans to invest at least $100 billion into the entire facility, ensuring that many jobs are created as a result.
Environmental Responsibility
SpaceX acknowledges the impact launches could have on marshlands, local wildlife, and water sources. Here’s how the company plans to help with the issues in Vermilion Parish:
- Restoring the Shoreline: “In Vermilion Parish, the shoreline is eroding between 3.3 and 23 feet per year. We’re partnering with state and federal agencies to expand Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan and Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act projects, including Gulf shoreline protection breakwaters designed to reduce wave energy and slow loss along the Gulf edge.”
- Rebuilding the Marshlands: “In working with the state, we’re planning thousands of acres of marsh creation using beneficial-use placement of dredged material and offshore sediment sources. Restoration will also include interior marsh bank stabilization and rebuilding marsh in remnant canals. These projects can reconnect fragmented wetlands, restore natural buffers against storms, and return habitat that has been lost to erosion and historic canalization.”
- Preserving Coastal Wildlife: “Pecan Island and nearby wetlands are high-value habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and other coastal wildlife. SpaceX is not developing the full footprint of the land and will preserve wetlands and wildlife habitat. At existing launch sites, waterfowl and other birds continue to use nearby habitat during operations. Working with wildlife agencies, landowners, and conservation groups, SpaceX will support monitoring and management so this habitat stays productive and hunting, fishing, birding, and other recreational activities that are part of this coast’s culture can continue.”
SpaceX shares rose about 2.5 percent on the news.
TESLARATI Premium Membership
$19.99 USD
Tesla Cybertruck AWD is a steal at $60k, is it still at $75k? Full Review
County vote hands Elon Musk’s Vegas tunnel network a huge new target
