On Friday, news circulated with fake headlines and a false report that Elon Musk had died.
What Happened: Elon Musk and #RIPELON were both trending topics on Twitter Inc TWTR Friday.
People circulated false reports that were doctored to look like Fox News articles and official statements from Tesla Inc TSLA, according to Snopes.com.
The reports said Musk died in a lithium battery explosion and Tesla would look for a new CEO.
“Mr. Musk tragically passed away due to a lithium battery explosion in early this morning,” a doctored Tesla press statement read.
The fake report stated that Tesla’s market share may decrease and the company was only alerting its major investors. The fake headlines and report could have been an attempt to bring down the share price of Tesla.
TSLA Price Action: Tesla shares were down 3.39% to $600.38 ahead of the close Friday.
Related Link: 5 Things You Might Not Know About Elon Musk
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
