Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest human being, has huge assets at his disposal to offer aid for these struggling around the globe. So when Musk noticed the nice folks of Los Angeles enduring wildfires which have destroyed 1000’s of houses and killed a minimum of 24 folks, he jumped into motion. Effectively, he did the billionaire oligarch’s model of leaping into motion.
Musk despatched eight Cybertrucks with some Pink Vines, bottled water, and oranges to native police stations. The Cybertrucks included Starlink web to offer some service to folks within the speedy space. And the billionaire shared a video on X about how he supposedly saved “1000’s of lives” from the wildfires. Critically.
“Apologies to these anticipating Cybertruck deliveries in California over the subsequent few days,” Musk tweeted Sunday. “We have to use these vans as cell base stations to offer energy to Starlink Web terminals in areas of LA with out connectivity. A brand new truck can be delivered finish of week.”
Tesla supplied a list of the Cybertrucks on X, with three at sheriff’s departments in Altadena, two in Pasadena, and three in Zuma Seaside and Malibu. These Cybertrucks will not be very useful to the broader inhabitants as they comprise only a handful of groceries sitting in police station parking tons. However Tesla can also be offering energy at some areas by means of its transportable Megapack vitality storage system.
Musk retweeted individuals who praised his wonderful generosity over the weekend, together with an account referred to as @DesireeAmerica4, which claimed Musk had “stepped up massive time” by offering some Starlink web. “Say what you need in regards to the man, however who else is making strikes like this when it counts?” the account asked.
The video itself even says Musk “saved 1000’s of lives” by means of his actions, in a video that seems to incorporate an AI-generated voiceover with b-roll of Musk making poses in entrance of burning buildings. It’s fairly gross to observe, clearly, even when it wasn’t a couple of tragedy the place dozens have been killed.
The menace hasn’t even handed, because the winds have picked up once more and the Palisades fireplace has simply 14% containment with 23,713 acres burned, in keeping with Watch Duty. The Eaton Fireplace is burning at 14,117 acres at simply 33% containment.
Elon Musk stepped up massive time, donating Starlink to assist Los Angeles firefighters and folks keep linked throughout the chaos. Say what you need in regards to the man, however who else is making strikes like this when it counts? pic.twitter.com/TlKozxKVjs
— Desiree (@DesireeAmerica4) January 12, 2025
“Elon Musk made an astonishing choice after the wildfires in Los Angeles,” the video’s seemingly robotic narrator stated.
“Saving 1000’s of lives the normal communication towers in Los Angeles have been already decreased to ashes within the fireplace, and the catastrophe zone misplaced all sign,” the narrator continued nonsensically. “But folks might nonetheless watch dwell protection of the hearth. This was all as a result of at this crucial second, Musk generously donated Starlink terminals to Los Angeles, restoring communication.”
The video has been seen by over 1.5 million folks on the time of this writing, presumably because of Musk retweeting it. It’s not fully clear who “Desiree” is, although the account has a blue checkmark that anybody should purchase for $8.
Musk, who’s at the moment price $412 billion in keeping with Forbes, has lengthy touted his personal charitable giving in occasions of disaster whereas really contributing little or no. Essentially the most notorious time was maybe when a youngsters’ soccer staff obtained caught in a Thai cave throughout the summer time of 2018. That occasion gained worldwide consideration, so Musk naturally wished a few of that focus for himself, exhibiting up in Thailand together with his personal “mini-sub” design to rescue the children. Unsurprisingly, critics referred to as Musk’s presence a publicity stunt.
When one skilled criticized the mini-sub as unworkable, Musk called the guy a “pedo” and even employed a non-public investigator to wreck his status. That man sued for defamation however misplaced after Musk insisted he didn’t imply “pedo” within the literal sense.
At any time when folks level out that Musk isn’t really contributing a lot to those rescue efforts and is as an alternative utilizing them for his personal publicity functions, the billionaire’s defenders will inevitably ask “what are you doing to assist?” as they fail to know how something works. Musk is getting super advantages from these comparatively low-cost stunts. And whereas it’s good that Musk gave some cops a number of groceries and web entry, it’s a reasonably pathetic effort within the grand scheme of issues.
Take, for example, a headline from WGN9 on Monday: “Elon Musk donates Cybertrucks to offer LA group with energy, Web amidst wildfire devastation.” If the typical particular person on the road quickly moved their automotive to a car parking zone for a number of days to offer some restricted web entry and some bananas, would anybody characterize that as “donating” a automotive? In fact not. However Musk will get that sort of beneficiant protection, despite the fact that he’s going to take these Cybertrucks and promote them to no matter dude with a midlife disaster comes alongside subsequent.
Musk is aware of methods to work the media ecosystem, irrespective of how a lot he whines about mainstream media being biased in opposition to him. And the billionaire is about to make use of that data to his benefit and newly scary methods as a high advisor to the incoming Trump administration. The New York Times had new reporting over the weekend about how DOGE, his slash-and-burn fee is probably going for use when Trump takes energy on Jan. 20. And it sounds prefer it’s going to be clusterfuck of phenomenal proportions as unqualified dullards attempt to make selections about how public cash is spent whereas nearly actually enriching themselves.
Musk has been crucial of the hearth administration technique in California, even touring to the state over the weekend to livestream with a member of the L.A. fireplace command staff to seek out some sort of deficiency he might cling on native leaders. Musk was very transparently making an attempt to get a solution that confirmed his biases about why fireplace hydrants have been running dry, a really actual downside firefighters have encountered.
“Was water accessible? I perceive that wasn’t a difficulty in Malibu, is that right?” Musk stated throughout the livestream.
“There was water, now we have water reservoirs,” the unidentified firefighter responded.
The firefighter went on to clarify that the water reserves are merely being stretched skinny by the historic fires. And there isn’t a lot you are able to do to supply sufficient water when tens of 1000’s of acres are burning underneath such horrifically dry and windy circumstances.
“The quantity of water we’re flowing, there actually is not any water system that’s gonna hold that tempo. So now we have to usher in water tenders, that are these massive water tanks, you recognize, 2,500 to three,000-gallon vans, they usually’ll are available, and that’s what now we have to do to compensate,” the firefighter continued.
Musk wasn’t content material with the response, stammering, “my understanding is that like, alongside the… right me if I’m improper, alongside the… in Malibu alongside the coast there was no scarcity of water. Within the Palisades there was a scarcity of water at a sure level. Or is that not correct?”
The firefighter calmly defined “we have been flowing an quantity of water that the system couldn’t take. It was overbearing, simply because how a lot water these firefighters have been using.”
“Alright,” Musk stated, sounding defeated, “sounds good.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom shared a video clip from Musk’s encounter on Sunday, saying the billionaire had been “uncovered by firefighters for his personal lies.”
.@ElonMusk uncovered by firefighters for his personal lies. pic.twitter.com/3Q8xFZaQ3S
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 13, 2025
No, Musk didn’t save 1000’s of lives because the wildfires in L.A. proceed to rage. However he’ll little question proceed to unfold misinformation that seeks to serve the MAGA agenda. And that may nearly actually get a lot worse after Jan. 20.