Pedestrians walking on the streets of cities that compose California’s Silicon Valley are hearing something quite unexpected when they press crosswalk buttons.
No stop. No go. Just some pretty canny impersonations of two of the world’s richest men.
“Hi, this is Elon Musk,” a voice claiming to be the Tesla CEO bellows. “Welcome to Palo Alto, the home of Tesla engineering. You know, they say money can’t buy happiness. And, yeah, OK, I guess that’s true; God knows I’ve tried. But it can buy a Cybertruck, and that’s pretty sick, right? Right? … “F**k I’m so alone.”
In another recording, also in Palo Alto, a Musk impressionist is heard asking, “You know, people keep saying cancer is bad, but have you tried being a cancer? It’s f****** awesome,” the voice message continues to say.
In Menlo Park, pedestrians are hearing a recording claiming to be Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
“Hi this is Mark Zuckerberg, but real ones call me the Zuck,” the voice announces. “You know, it’s normal to feel uncomfortable or even violated as we forcibly insert AI into every facet of your conscious experience. And I just want to assure you — you don’t need to worry because there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. Anyway, see ya.”
Meghan Horrigan-Taylor, chief communications officer for the city of Palo Alto, said that tampering likely occurred last Friday. City employees first noticed the voice message Saturday morning.
In all 12 intersections were “malfunctioning,” said Horrigan-Taylor.
“City staff have disabled the audible feature until further repairs can be made,” she told NBC-7. “Other traffic signals in the City were checked and the impact is isolated. Signal operations are otherwise unaffected, and motorists are reminded to always exercise caution around pedestrians.”
Jennifer Yamaguma, Redwood City’s deputy city manager, said officials first learned of the hacking on Saturday.
It is unclear how many crosswalks were impacted in Redwood City and Menlo Park.
Musk, now viewed unfavorably by more than half the country, is also the subject of a new toll-free number for those suffering TRS, or Tesla Regret Syndrome.
Callers to 1-866-EFF-MUSK are greeted by a recording that describes TRS as a condition affecting “tens and thousands” of Tesla owners.
“It’s characterized by persistent feelings of deep discomfort when driving a Tesla you bought because you cared about the future, only to find the CEO is a fascist megalomaniac out to destroy the U.S. government and sell it for parts, then enrich himself with contracts to do some of the same work,” the recording states.
Callers are then given three treatment options: one for those who aren’t sure why they should sell their Teslas, another for those who can’t afford to sell, and the last for those still attached to their Tesla who don’t want to sell.
“If you own a Cybertruck, it’s probably best for you to hang up now and deal with the latest recall,” the recording continues.
The goal of the recording is to get people to sell their Teslas, with the recording urging owners to “flood the market with used ones (that) will bring the price down.”
