Fact Check: Is viral claim about upside-down logo of Elon Musk's Tesla resembling Ku Klux Klan hood true?

WASHINGTON, DC: The claim that an inverted Tesla logo resembles the hood of the white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan (KKK) has recently gone viral across social media platforms.

The rumors was first sparked after Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared to allegedly perform a Nazi salute ahead of the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January. 

The president himself is reportedly known to be backed by similar alt-right groups, such as the Proud Boys. However, fact-checking website Snopes published a report on Monday, April 7, debunking the claim and calling it "fake."

Where did the rumor about the Tesla logo originate?

As per Snopes, TikTok user @thedisciplinedfatkid posted a video on April 1, in which he demonstrated that when flipped vertically, the logo of Elon Musk's electric vehicle company, Tesla, looked like a hood historically worn by members of the KKK. As of publication, the video has been viewed over 15 million times.

The rumor also appeared on other platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, X, and Bluesky, where some posts were made even before the release of the TikTok video.

A user @thedisciplinedfatkid claimed that he found the upside-down logo, which seemingly resembled the KKK mask, on Facebook first and did not take the credit for creating it.

Why did Snopes label the rumor 'false'?

The fact-checking website noted that while the inverted Tesla logo doing rounds on social media was the same as the original Tesla logo, it had two small additional dots on it that resembled the eye-holes in a KKK mask, thus strengthening the comparison.

As a result of the original Tesla logo being manipulated to suit the claim, the claim has been labeled as false.

Internet comments on the Tesla logo-KKK rumor

Netizens continued to buy into the rumor that the Tesla logo resembles the KKK hood on social media. A Reddit thread demonstrates the popular takes on the viral video and rumor.

"When you suddenly realise that the Tesla logo is literally a nasty-looking p***k...... it's been right there all along, hasn't it?" asked a person.

"Yes, I'm sure Musk sees himself as a Grand Wizard lol," said another.

"Tbf, the double nazi salute sealed the deal," stated one person.

"That is really creepy," shared another.

"Can’t unsee this," one individual declared.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.