FACT CHECK: No reports of Elon Musk releasing Tesla Pi Phone
Claim: Tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the release of a new smartphone called the Tesla Pi Phone.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook video bearing the claim was posted on December 2 by an account with 1.9 million followers. As of writing, the video has gained 44,000 views, 1,200 reactions, and 51 comments.
The post’s thumbnail features a manipulated image of Musk holding the alleged phone, along with the caption “Nandito na ang Tesla Pi Phone!” (The Tesla Pi Phone is here!)
The video also details unverified claims about the phone’s supposed state-of-the-art features including a Starlink satellite-powered data signal, astrophotography, and ‘Marscoin’ cryptocurrency mining.
The facts: Tesla has not announced news of the development or release of the rumored smartphone. Musk himself has debunked the speculations multiple times.
In a Joe Rogan Experience podcast on November 5, Musk said when asked about the alleged phone: “No, we’re not doing a phone… Probably Tesla is in a better position to create a new phone that’s not Android or iPhone than maybe any company in the world, but it’s not something we wanna do unless we have to.”
According to Musk, Tesla would be compelled to enter the mobile phone market if “Apple and Google/Android started doing really bad things like censorship of apps or just being like, gatekeepers in a really bad way.”
This was also his tone when he shut down similar rumors in a tweet posted four years ago, and again in a town hall session in Philadelphia in October 2024.
Several news organizations, such as Vera Files and Politifact, also debunked the claim.
Tesla in the Philippines: While Tesla has yet to venture into the smartphone industry, the company has made strides in the Philippine market with the opening of its electric vehicle showroom last November.
The showroom features the company’s best-selling models, the Model 3 and Model Y. Tesla said the first orders from the Philippines will arrive in early 2025. (READ: Is the Philippines EV car market ready for takeoff?)
Rappler has already published several fact-checks related to Musk:
- FACT CHECK: No plans for Elon Musk to launch ‘GED office’ in PH
- FACT CHECK: Elon Musk did not buy Ford
- FACT CHECK: No reports of Musk acquiring Fox News
– Sean Guevarra/Rappler.com
Sean Guevarra is a Rappler intern. He is a junior BS Development Communication student at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and a news staffer for Tanglaw, the official student publication of the UPLB College of Development Communication.
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