Fact Check: Did Elon Musk pretend to be homeless in restaurant to gauge people's reaction?
AUSTIN, TEXAS: Recently, rumors emerged online suggesting that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk disguised himself as a homeless person and entered a high-end restaurant.
The story quickly spread across social media, triggering a wave of reactions. However, several questions have been raised about the authenticity of these claims.
Video claims Elon Musk pretended to be homeless in restaurant for social experiment
In an attempt to test how people judge others based solely on appearances, the tech entrepreneur reportedly pretended to be homeless, according to a video that went viral on YouTube in early December 2024.
The story, which provided no evidence to back up its claims, alleged that Musk later revealed his true identity and scolded customers and restaurant employees for their rude remarks.
The video, posted by the Elite Stories channel and titled "Elon Musk Goes Undercover as Homeless in a Restaurant – The Shocking Ending Will Blow Your Mind!", had received over 450,000 views as of this writing.
The thumbnail, narration, scripting, and sequencing of the video appear to have been enhanced using artificial intelligence (AI) video-creation tools.
In the first clip, the narrator described how Musk pretended to be homeless before eating at The Copper Elm, a fancy restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A waitress named Sophia offered to seat Musk as he was about to be turned away inside the restaurant.
Except for Sophia, who treated Musk like a regular customer, Musk overheard the restaurant's employees and patrons making disparaging remarks during his meal. Musk gave Sophia a check for $50,000 and left after revealing his identity and scolding the restaurant's employees and patrons for their impolite behavior.
Elon Musk did not disguise himself as homeless person at restaurant
There was no proof that the story was true and no reliable news sources covered it. Additionally, there isn't a restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico that goes by the name of The Copper Elm Restaurant.
The video's disclaimer stated, "The stories presented on this channel are entirely fictional and crafted solely for entertainment." This was also mentioned in the description of the video, but that didn't stop people from commenting that they believed the story to be real.
The disclaimer further read, "Any resemblance to real events, individuals, or situations is purely coincidental and unintentional. These narratives are not intended to depict, reference, or represent any actual occurrences, persons, or entities."
Musk has never posted such a story on X, the social media platform he currently owns.
In summary, the rumor was fabricated entirely to attract views online. Consequently, Snopes has deemed this claim to be false.
