Tesla Cybertruck spotted towing giant Elon Musk statue in Texas amid NFT promotion
Image: Reuters.com
A bizarre sighting in Brownsville, Texas, has garnered attention as a Tesla Cybertruck was filmed towing a massive bronze statue of Elon Musk. The statue, commissioned by a group called ElonRWA, is part of an effort to promote an NFT (non-fungible token) based on a meme-worthy drawing of Musk that gained popularity online. The video was shared by local resident Gail Alfar, who tweeted about the incident on August 18, 2024.
Elon Musk showing off his shitty statue in his shitty vehicle he was parading downtown Brownsville on the streets I used to walk when I used to use the bus fills me with rage.
That’s literally the streets I’d walk. That’s also where I had my driving lessons.
I hate him. >B( pic.twitter.com/Phgh3V7usE— it’s GARFing time ™ 🐈 (@seg_rambles) August 19, 2024
The statue’s appearance coincides with the ongoing debate about the capabilities of the Tesla Cybertruck, with some questioning whether the vehicle can handle heavy-duty tasks. The towing of the statue seems to serve as a demonstration of the truck's strength. ElonRWA, the group behind the project, has a history of creating tributes to Musk in Brownsville, where his company SpaceX operates a major facility.
The statue is modeled after a poorly drawn image of Musk that went viral on Reddit five years ago, when a user named Watch Your Boy posted it asking for feedback. Musk himself humorously acknowledged the drawing, saying, "It’s like looking in a mirror." ElonRWA later acquired the drawing and turned it into an NFT, which is now being marketed as a "real-world asset meme-coin."
ElonRWA has set up a blockchain wallet where interested buyers can purchase a fraction of the NFT, but this initiative has raised concerns about its legitimacy. Critics have warned against investing in such digital assets, especially given Musk’s own skepticism about the NFT market. At the height of the NFT craze, Musk mocked the concept by using an NFT image as his profile picture and commenting, "I dunno…seems kind of fungible to me."
The giant statue is the latest in a series of Musk-related art installations in Brownsville, where SpaceX has become a significant employer and source of local pride.