We did some digging to find out whether the picture of Elon Musk and Sundar Pichai – Google CEO – shaking hands is true or just a rumor.
In the first month of 2023, the news of Twitter owner Musk has bought Google spread and some readers are asking about the credibility of the news.
The news began on the 8th of January after a YouTube channel (Elon Musk Zone) posted a video and gave it the title of “Elon Musk: ‘I OFFICIALLY Bought Google.’”
The video starts by an announcement which goes: “Tesla billionaire Elon Musk has shocked many after he officially bought Google.” Fact is, this is nothing but a mere rumor.
Reporting about the rumor, HITC.com notes that the video thumbnail image represents a manipulated photo of Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, with Elon Musk.
The disclaimer of the YouTube video’ description is actually similar to the ones we find on the webs known for publishing satire and parody. But the problem is that it doesn’t mention neither the word “satire” nor “parody” for that matter.
The disclaimer, however, mentions this: “Our channel is not associated with Elon Musk in ANY way and is purely made for entertainment purposes, based on facts, rumors, and fiction. Nothing in this video is financial or medical advice.”
The fairy tale of the video begins by narrating the following:
Tesla billionaire Elon Musk has shocked many after he officially bought Google. What is Musk up to in the tech industry, given his pace of buying tech companies? Will Sundar Pichai survive as Google’s CEO after Musk’s takeover, or will he be fired like the former Twitter CEO, Parag Agrawal? Will Google be better off or worse off after Musk’s takeover? Join me today in this video where we will explore how Elon Musk has officially bought Google.
In your wildest dreams, would you have ever thought that Elon Musk could buy the world’s largest search-engine company, Google? Well, I can bet you never did. However, let’s just face it. Elon Musk is full of surprises, and we should be expecting more from the tech guru.
So, Elon Musk has just lost his first position as the world’s richest man in the world to LVMH’s Bernard Arnault. Yet, to this tech nerd, net worth is just a number. He has a lot more wealth than we can imagine. Nevertheless, his most recent purchase has left many surprised as to his capabilities. Just recently, Elon Musk successfully bought and freed the bird (Twitter) from the deal that drew a whopping $44 billion from his pocket.
We all know the Twitter story, and how it wound to Elon buying it. But one thing is clear after the purchase of the American microblogging social media site: Elon Musk is hailed as the hero of free speech.
To avoid future confusion about doubtful YouTube videos -like the one under analysis-, it is well recommended that people check the “description” and the “About page” of the channel. A disclaimer might be found in one -or both- of these locations.
sources:
Elon Musk Zone. “Elon Musk: ‘I OFFICIALLY Bought Google.'” YouTube, 8 Jan. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYDy0HLrgTk.
Mustafa, Filiz. “Viral Rumor Claiming Elon Musk Has Acquired Google Bamboozles Twitter Users.” HITC, 9 Jan. 2023, https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2023/01/09/has-elon-musk-bought-google-viral-twitter-rumor-debunked/.
