Sorry, wrong number: Elon Musk didn’t announce a $299 Tesla phone

Tesla CEO Elon Musk didn’t announce a new phone to rival Apple’s iPhone, but recent Facebook posts wrongly credit him with the purported product. 

“Elon Musk: ‘The $299 Tesla phone will be the end of the iPhone!” a Nov. 19 Facebook post said, sharing an image of Musk that’s artificially generated. “Think of a phone that costs just $299 but offers global internet connectivity through satellites, charges itself with sunlight, and seamlessly controls your car, home, and more. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, leave it to Elon and Tesla to make it a reality with the Tesla PI Phone.”

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We found no source to corroborate the claim that Musk said this. It doesn’t appear in any credible news stories or public statements from Musk or Tesla. No phone appears on Tesla’s website. 

In an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan posted Nov. 4 on YouTube, Musk responded to a question about phone rumors. 

“No,” Musk said. “We’re not doing a phone.” Following up, he said, “It’s not something we want to do unless we have to.” 

Rogan asked under what those circumstances for Tesla would be. 

“If Apple and Google Android started doing really bad things like, I don’t know, censorship,” he said.  

At an Oct. 18 town hall, Musk said, “The idea of making a phone makes me want to die” and that “if we have to make a phone, we will, but we will not aspire to make a phone,” the London Evening Standard reported. 

The purported $299 phone is just the latest in a series of fake products social media posts have declared Musk has debuted. 

We rate claims Musk announced a new Tesla phone False.