On Thursday night, at a SpaceX test facility near Waco, Texas, Elon Musk unveiled his long-delayed Tesla Roadster to the world in a dazzling show before cameras. The wait was justified as well worth it.
You see, the company's supercar with rocket technology can fly. No, really. It's a flying car, just like we hoped the world might eventually look like in "Back To the Future." And it's going to change everything.
At least, that's what you might believe after reading some of the many media reports about Musk's latest publicity stunt.
"Elon Musk shows 'flying cars’ are real,'" CBS News reported. "Elon Musk unveils Tesla's new Roadster, and it can fly," ABC News heralded. "Tesla Has Built a Flying Car. It Will Blow Your Mind," Barron's proclaimed.
While these are real headlines, Musk's latest creation is not really a flying car. Instead, it's a one-seat electric vehicle with a massive compressed-gas tank consuming the backseat and passenger chair to provide mere seconds of lift in the air. And while Tesla says the Roadster will enter production in 2028, other basic details, including when any of the supposed flying cars will be delivered was not announced. In fact, Tesla says the vehicle, which is not street legal, will be sold only by invitation, so you won't actually be able to buy one.
To top it all off, Tesla might not deliver the cars ever. That’s right, while Tesla is seeking as much as $250,000 to reserve a version of the car that never leaves the ground, the website’s fine print includes a disclaimer that the vehicle might not be delivered at all.
"You understand that Roadster is still under development at the time you entered into this Agreement and so we cannot guarantee when your vehicle will actually be delivered or if it will be delivered," Tesla says in a reservation notice.
But who cares? These are mere minor issues with an otherwise totally awesome and real flying car that Tesla is definitely going to make and you can surely soar around in. Musk has a sterling track record of delivering on his promises, and never overstates his claims. So the media has every reason to take him at his word and promote his claims, uncritically—which is what many outlets did, willfully serving as cogs in Musk’s hype machine.
"This is truly amazing. Congratulations!" Skydance boss David Ellison tweeted at Musk after the unveiling.
While many journalists are acutely aware of the trillionaire's history of exaggerated promotional claims, this week's announcement shows some still continue to parrot his hype in hopes of capitalizing on dwindling Google and social media traffic, even when they almost certainly know better.
That free promotion comes as Musk vilifies newsrooms and expresses withering contempt for journalists. For some reason, the press still happily does his bidding, beaming his stunts into living rooms and smartphones across the world. Not only do most media outlets still regularly engage on his social media playground, legitimizing it as a destination for the public, some also continue to boost and legitimize his fantastical claims without basic scrutiny.
Still, while the media was taken in by the spectacle of a car hurtling through the air, Wall Street saw through it. Tesla’s stock still fell 7% this week and is down nearly 20% year-to-date. And Musk has been keeping close watch on his companies’ shares. SpaceX was denied a fast track into the S&P 500 earlier this year, raising the prospect that Musk might try to merge Tesla and SpaceX together. A sports car outfitted with SpaceX thrusters makes for a pretty convenient advertisement for that marriage, which may be the most charitable way to understand Thursday’s spectacle.
You wouldn’t know that from much of the coverage, though. Musk himself hedged on the car’s ability onstage, telling the crowd that “success is not guaranteed” as it performed a stunt. Perhaps the press could also spend a few seconds asking the obvious questions before rushing to declare that flying cars are real. If Musk himself isn’t willing to guarantee his car will work, why are so many newsrooms happy to do it for him?
