On March 10, 2021, fabricated screenshots and headlines claiming “Elon Musk is dead” circulated on Twitter under #RIPElon. Futurism reported that the supposed Tesla statement accompanying the rumor was fake; its account did not identify who made the posts or establish why they spread.
What the March 2021 rumor claimed
In a report updated March 10, 2021, Futurism’s Victor Tangermann described Twitter users sharing made-up screenshots with the hashtag #RIPElon. Examples included a false headline claiming Musk had died after a Tesla battery malfunction and another framing his supposed death as a stock-market story.
The report also described a fabricated investor statement attributed to “the Tesla PR Team.” These were presented as false material, not as evidence of a death or an authentic Tesla announcement.
What was—and was not—established
Tangermann’s report said, “Elon Musk does not appear to be dead.” That sentence reflects the report’s assessment at the time it was updated on March 10, 2021; it is not a current status check.
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The report did not identify the people behind the posts, independently authenticate every original post, or establish a motive. It raised the possibility that short sellers could benefit from a fall in Tesla’s share price, but characterized that explanation as unlikely. It did not prove any connection between short sellers and the rumor.
Why Tesla’s share price is not proof of an effect
The report placed the rumor in the context of Tesla share-price declines and discussed a reported share sale by investor Ron Baron. That context does not show that the rumor caused a market movement. Futurism’s account did not establish or quantify any market effect attributable to the posts.
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