“Can we be a friend?” This sentence, pronounced by a voice resembling that of Elon Musk, began to sound to the pedestrian passages of several Californian cities. Factical voices, inserted in the sound system of several tricolor fires diffused mockery and absurdities with passers -by crossing the street. Amusing? Not for the authorities, who try to understand how such hacking is possible, explains the online media Business Insider.
The facts occurred in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City, three cities located in the heart of Silicon Valley. A choice that obviously is not trivial, since these are the cradles of Tesla and Meta, the companies of the two bosses targeted by these imitations. Instead of the usual announcement indicating that it is possible to cross, sarcastic messages staged Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg and mocked their solitude, their sickly recognition need or the famous Tesla cybertruck.
According to Meghan Horrigan-Taylor, spokesperson for the city of Palo Alto, a municipal employee noted the anomaly on Saturday April 12, 2025 in the morning. Twelve other pedestrian crossings presented the same problem. Generated by artificial intelligence, the voices were probably inserted on Friday April 11, before being deactivated, pending repairs.
In Redwood City, assistant municipal director Jennifer Yamaguma explains that “The staff are actively working on the survey and solving the problem as quickly as possible”. The initial objective of these devices was to help the visually impaired, but their diversion does not fail to amuse social networks.
@rosecampau Our crosswalks Just Got Vc Funding Apparently #Paloalto #elonmusk #tesla #siliconvalley #walkablecites ♬ Original Sound – Rose
Jokes, satires and black humor
The messages broadcast go beyond the picky joke. One of them evokes Elon Musk’s support to Donald Trump, while another turns Mark Zuckerberg in ridiculous for his controversial decisions linked to Meta, AI and the rights of trans persons.
In a video published on the social network X, the dummy voice of Mark Zuckerberg says: “Hi, I’m Mark Zuckerberg, but the real ones call me” Zuck “. You know, it is normal to feel uncomfortable or even violated when we force AI in all facets of your conscious experience. And I want to make sure you don’t have to worry, because there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. Anyway, see you soon. ” A barely veiled allusion to Meta’s policy allowing and encouraging the dissemination of poor quality content generated by AI.
Crosswalk buttons 🚦 in Several Cities on the Peninsula Appear to Have Been Hacked – Playing Prank Messages Using Voices That Sound A Lot Like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
This is one of Several in Redwood City @KtVu pic.twitter.com/oaukjoqghjj– Betty yu (@bett_yu) April 13, 2025
Critics have never spared the two billionaire entrepreneurs, especially since their rapprochement with Donald Trump. Both present at the nomination of 47e President of the United States, the two CEOs are now regularly associated with controversial political positions. This vocal hacking is surely a diverted way of confronting them with their actions.
The sound diversions are added to the long list of protest actions, going to the acts of vandalism of the Cybertruck models of the car manufacturer led by Elon Musk, which have multiplied in recent months. For the moment, no suspect has been appointed by the authorities. Meta, Tesla and the Californian municipal representatives concerned have not yet officially reacted.
