People really think Adrian Dittmann is secretly Elon Musk

Rumors that viral Elon Musk fanboy Adrian Dittmann is actually a fake online persona used by Musk himself have been reignited following fresh evidence linking the pair. Internet sleuths are pointing to a string of recent activity from Dittmann’s X account and alleged 4Chan posts that feature unexplained X admin permissions and similarities with Musk’s voice and mannerisms.

On Wednesday, a 4chan user identifying themself as Adrian Dittmann posted a screenshot of a post from Musk that displayed interface options that suggest he’s not an ordinary user. (4chan doesn’t use formal accounts, and you’re basically anonymous, but users can adopt unique identifiers that serve a similar purpose, demonstrating the same author is behind multiple posts.) A navigation at the bottom right of the image includes links for “switch account,” “bans,” and “admin portal.” Another link to view the full post engagements can also be seen under the image Musk published — something that’s only visible to the user who created the post.

However, a source at X told The Verge that the “bans” and “admin portal” options seen in the screenshot don’t reflect an actual interface available to people who work for X. Employees would typically see the same interface as other users, with the potential exception of new features currently being trialed for wide release.

The posts from the user identified as Adrian Dittmann, which were made on 4chan’s far-right /pol/ board, have since been deleted.

Additional speculation that Musk is masquerading as Dittmann comes from an X Spaces call hosted by right-wing influencer Laura Loomer on December 29th. After Dittmann joined the call, other X users noted that the account sounded eerily similar to Musk. Similarities between their speech patterns have been raised before following Dittmann’s previous X Spaces appearances, including several instances where he refers to Musk in first person, and another where Musk and Dittmann interacted directly to dispel the rumors.

Dittmann’s parasocial behavior and diehard support of Musk have fueled rumors that the persona is actually the Tesla CEO for over a year. Musk’s daughter has backed the speculation on several occasions. While Dittmann has previously denied being Musk during an appearance on Infowars, the X account, which Journalist Taylor Lorenz notes is eligible for X’s monetization program, has since leaned into the speculation after attracting thousands of followers.

The 4Chan posts were made following Musk in-fighting with hardline anti-immigration Republicans over H-1B visa crackdowns. The fight led to Musk lashing out at his opponents on X, who accused him of demonetizing or suspending them. Dittmann has popped up during this saga to make peace between factions, and his posts on 4chan are, unsurprisingly, defenses of Musk’s moderation on X.

There’s currently no conclusive evidence that confirms Musk behind the Dittmann account on X that frequently responds to his own posts and defends his actions. It wouldn’t be the first time that Musk has used a weird burner account, having previously roleplayed as one of his own children to test X posts. If he isn’t Dittmann, then there’s a real Adrian Dittmann out there praising Musk for being “an amazing father” who gets “lots of sex.”

Update, January 3rd: The story was updated to add details from an X employee who calls the screenshot a fake.