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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.
News
Tesla might have built redundancies for Cybercab charging
When Tesla unveiled the Cybercab in 2024, the company noted that the autonomous two-seater would utilize wireless charging.
A newly spotted panel on Tesla’s Cybercab prototype may point to a practical backup for the vehicle’s wireless charging system as it nears mass production.
Tesla watchers have speculated that the panel could house a physical NACS port, which would ensure that the autonomous two-seater could operate reliably even before the company’s wireless charging infrastructure is deployed.
Cybercab possible physical charge port
The discussion was sparked by a post on X by Tesla watcher Owen Sparks, who highlighted a rather interesting panel on the Cybercab’s rear. The panel, which seemed to be present in the prototype units that have been spotted across the United States recently, seemed large enough to house a physical charge port.
When Tesla unveiled the Cybercab in 2024, the company noted that the autonomous two-seater would utilize wireless charging. Since then, however, Tesla has remained largely quiet about the system’s rollout timeline. With the Cybercab expected to enter production in a few months, equipping the vehicle with a physical NACS port would allow it to charge at Superchargers nationwide without relying exclusively on still-undeployed wireless chargers.
Such an approach would not rule out wireless charging long-term. Instead, it would give Tesla flexibility, allowing the Cybercab to operate immediately at scale while wireless charging solutions are rolled out later. For a vehicle designed to operate continuously and autonomously, redundancy in charging options would be a practical move.
Growing Cybercab sightings
Recent sightings of the Cybercab prototype in Chicago point to the same design philosophy. Images shared on social media showed the vehicle coated in road grime, while its rear camera area appeared noticeably cleaner, with visible traces of water on the trunk.
The observation suggests that the Cybercab is equipped with a rear camera washer. As noted by Model Y owner and industry watcher Sawyer Merritt, this is a feature Tesla owners have requested for years, particularly in snowy or wet climates where dirt and slush can obscure cameras and degrade the performance of systems like FSD.
While only the rear camera washer was clearly visible, the sighting raises the possibility that Tesla may equip additional exterior cameras with similar cleaning systems. For a vehicle that operates without a human driver, after all, maintaining camera visibility in all conditions is essential. Ultimately, the charge-port speculation and camera-washer sightings suggest Tesla is approaching the Cybercab with practicality in mind.
News
Tesla Model Y dominated China’s NEV sales in December 2025
As per sales data from China, the all-electric crossover finished first among the country’s best-selling EVs and plug-in hybrids.
The Tesla Model Y ranked as China’s top-selling new energy vehicle in December, leading an intensely competitive market packed with strong domestic brands.
As per sales data from China, the all-electric crossover finished first among the country’s best-selling EVs and plug-in hybrids. The Model 3 also placed within the country’s top ten vehicles.
Model Y leads China’s NEV rankings
The graphic, shared on X and sourced from Chinese auto industry data aggregator Yiche, listed the top 20 best-selling new energy vehicles in China for December. Tesla’s Model Y claimed the No. 1 position with roughly 65,874 units sold, finishing well ahead of a field dominated by domestic manufacturers such as BYD, SAIC-GM-Wuling, and Xiaomi.
The chart also showed strong performances from other high-volume models, including BYD’s Qin Plus, which sold 46,837 units during the month. Tesla’s Model 3 ranked eighth overall, with just under 28,000 units sold, placing it ahead of numerous locally produced competitors despite its rather premium price.
Tesla China’s strong December
Tesla China had a stellar December 2025. During the month, Tesla sold 97,171 vehicles wholesale in China, as per data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). The result marked Tesla China’s second-highest monthly total on record, trailing only November 2022’s peak of 100,291 units.
December’s wholesale figure represented a 3.63% increase from the same month a year earlier and a 12.08% jump from November. Industry watchers have suggested that part of the surge was driven by Tesla pulling deliveries forward to allow customers to benefit from more favorable purchase tax policies before year-end.
Despite this, December’s results suggest that Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 remain highly competitive offerings in China, which is extremely impressive considering the competition from domestic players and their still premium price.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s net worth is nearing $800 billion, and it’s no small part due to xAI
A newly confirmed $20 billion xAI funding round valued the business at $250 billion, adding an estimated $62 billion to Musk’s fortune.
Elon Musk moved within reach of an unprecedented $800 billion net worth after private investors sharply increased the valuation of xAI Holdings, his artificial intelligence and social media company.
A newly confirmed $20 billion funding round valued the business at $250 billion, adding an estimated $62 billion to Musk’s fortune and widening his lead as the world’s wealthiest individual.
xAI’s valuation jump
Forbes confirmed that xAI Holdings was valued at $250 billion following its $20 billion funding round. That’s more than double the $113 billion valuation Musk cited when he merged his AI startup xAI with social media platform X last year. Musk owned roughly 49% of the combined company, which Forbes estimated was worth about $122 billion after the deal closed.
xAI’s recent valuation increase pushed Musk’s total net worth to approximately $780 billion, as per Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List. The jump represented one of the single largest wealth gains ever recorded in a private funding round.
Interestingly enough, xAI’s funding round also boosted the AI startup’s other billionaire investors. Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud held an estimated 1.6% stake in xAI worth about $4 billion, so the recent funding round boosted his net worth to $19.4 billion. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison each owned roughly 0.8% stakes that are now valued at about $2.1 billion, increasing their net worths to $6 billion and $241 billion, respectively.
The backbone of Musk’s net worth
Despite xAI’s rapid rise, Musk’s net worth is still primarily anchored by SpaceX and Tesla. SpaceX represents Musk’s single most valuable asset, with his 42% stake in the private space company estimated at roughly $336 billion.
Tesla ranks second among Musk’s holdings, as he owns about 12% of the EV maker’s common stock, which is worth approximately $307 billion.
Over the past year, Musk crossed a series of historic milestones, becoming the first person ever worth $500 billion, $600 billion, and $700 billion. He also widened his lead over the world’s second-richest individual, Larry Page, by more than $500 billion.
Tesla might have built redundancies for Cybercab charging
Tesla Model Y dominated China’s NEV sales in December 2025
