While the Cybertruck may have actually made its debut on the U.S. roadways in November 2023, this Tesla electric vehicle’s debutante year of 2024 was nothing less than a success among Benzinga readers.

Sightings of this not-so-demure rare bird included the truck in flames — a metaphor for 2024, some might say. 

Shaquille O'Neal, a former NBA superstar who makes multiple appearances on the 2024 list, is among its fans, but the Cybertruck is also intrinsically linked to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Despite the ubiquity of Cybertrucks, Musk and Shaq, the No. 1 spot went to Bitcoin BTC/USD, which made a stellar comeback in the latter part of 2024, much to the chagrin of one possible Bitcoin holder — and the No. 1 article for 2024.

See Also:  The No. 1 article for 2023 was "Tesla Told Driver To Bring ‘Fully Burned’ Model Y To Service Center After It Burst Into Flames On Roadside” by Adam Eckert.

1. “Man Who Accidentally Threw Hard Drive Containing 8,000 Bitcoins Worth Half a Billion Dollars in Landfill,” by Aniket Verma, published, Oct. 14. (There was a follow-up article on Nov. 28 in which the ex-girlfriend admitted to throwing it out.)

If there is a winner of messing up on the world stage, it would have to go to the Bitcoin holder who threw away millions.

In 2013, when Bitcoin traded between $50 and $1,242 per token, an unfortunate man discarded a hard drive containing the private key for 8,000 Bitcoins. Fast forward to Dec. 30, 2024, with Bitcoin priced at $92,562 per token, that lost stash is now worth $740,496,000. While it falls short of landing him on the Forbes Billionaire list, it’s still more than enough to afford a luxurious penthouse on Park Avenue in New York City or in Dubai.

But lo and behold — spoiler alert — it turns out his ex-girlfriend actually threw the hard drive out, per his request to help him tidy up his house, according to a Daily Mail article. Probably not one of the best decisions he's ever made.

2. “NBA Legend Shaq Shows Off His New Widebody Carbon Fiber Tesla Cybertruck: Elon Musk Has A One Word Reaction,” by Rounak Jain, published Sept. 7.

Shaq likes cars. He has around 40 vehicles, with a good portion of them customized — it could be that he is 7 feet 1 inches tall or perhaps he just likes to add a personal touch, such as a Superman "S" log on the front of his black Range Rover, according to GameDay News.

Car aficionado that he is, Shaq of course had to have a Cybertruck. But not just any Cybertruck. Customized by Effortless Motors, the vehicle, dubbed "Cyberbeast," has a wide body kit and carbon fiber construction, as well as 26-inch rims and a black-on-black color scheme. 

Musk weighed in on it on X, saying it was "Nice." Compliment or shade? Only Musk knows for sure. 

3. “Elon Musk Says That World Isn't Using The Sun's Energy Enough Because Most People Don't Do The Math,” by Benzinga Neuro, published Sept. 26

Is it even a Benzinga Top 5 Articles of the Year if there isn’t more than one article featuring Musk? No! (See "Benzinga’s Top 5 Articles For 2022 — AKA The Year Your Grandparents Found Out Who Elon Musk Is" as a sample of the Musk-omnipresence.)

Musk touts solar energy with some interesting facts, such as he "suggested that the amount of solar energy received by Earth could power a civilization 100 times larger than ours." 

Solar is an industry that has had a bumpy to bad year: the Invesco Solar ETF TAN is down around 36% year-to-date, for example.

But let's not forget that Musk's Tesla also makes Powerwall battery storage, which can store energy either solar or from the electrical grid. Solar energy plus Powerwall, equals more money for Tesla. It's all in the math, so to speak.

4.  “NBA Legend Shaq Missed His Tesla Cybertuck So Much, Instead of Shipping it from Vegas to Atlanta, He Reportedly Ordered One More,” by Rounak Jain, published Aug. 16

Yes, indeed, Shaq's love for the Cybertruck had him make a decision only a multimillionaire, former NBA player could do: buy another Cybertruck when he didn't want to ship it from one location to another. 

Musk also chimed in X on this, saying "Understandable." Could Shaq be poised to have a Cybertruck in every major U.S. city?

5. Putin Ally Who Unveiled Tesla Cybertruck with Machine Gun Last Month Now Says Elon Musk ‘Remotely Disabled' the Militarized EV, by Bibhu Pattnaik, published Sept. 22

On the flip side of customization, Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov accused Musk of remotely disabling his Cybertruck. 

Why, you may ask? This Vladimir Putin ally (and colonel general in the Russian army) Kadyrov decided to mount a machine gun on the Cybertruck, hinting that it would be used in the war against Ukraine.

Kadyrov also stated in a Telegram post the vehicle was a gift from Musk, saying "Elon Musk behaved badly. He gives expensive gifts from the heart, and then turns them off remotely."

Musk strongly denied he gifted the vehicle to Kadyrov. 

There is one practical theory on why the car could have become disabled — a lack of charging stations on the battlefield, something pointed out by one international relations expert.

And just in case you were wondering….

6. “Anthony Scaramucci Says Trump Could Drop His Presidential Bid Against Kamala Harris If This Happens: ‘I Know How This Man Thinks,“ by Shanthi Rexaline, published Aug. 2

7. “NBA Legend Shaq Once Found A Wallet In Beverly Hills: ‘Usually When I Find Wallets I Just Take All The Money Out’ — But This One Was David Beckham's, So Here's What He Did,” by Chris Katje, Sept. 22

8. “SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Says Anyone Can Go To Mars With SpaceX But Journey Would Be Like A ‘Long Sea Voyage In Centuries Past,” by Anan Ashraf, published Sept. 19

9. “Legendary Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs Once Said, ‘Being The Richest Man In The Cemetery Doesn’t Matter To Me:’ Maybe That’s Why His Impact Transcends Financial Success For iPhone-Maker And Beyond,” by Ananya Gairola, published Oct. 5

10. “T-Mobile Customers Will Get Starlink Satellite Internet Directly On Their Mobiles First And Others Only Later, Says SpaceX CEO Elon Musk,” by Anan Ashraf, published Sept. 2

These articles were originally published in 2024 by the news department. Some were written with the help of artificial intelligence. 

Read Next:
• 2025 Outlook: Bitcoin To $150,000, Ethereum To $5,500, Dogecoin Hits $1, Galaxy Research Predicts

The page views used to determine the top 5 articles were compiled on the morning of Dec. 27, 2024.

Photo: Elon Musk, courtesy Shutterstock, Cybertruck courtesy: Tesla