Business magnate Elon Musk's surprising move to stray away from SpaceX and start selling flamethrowers had fans wondering whether he is planning to start a zombie apocalypse — a move that he jokingly but vehemently denied.
Just before announcing that the highly-anticipated Falcon Heavy rocket is finally attempting a launch on Feb. 6, Musk revealed on Saturday that his The Boring Company is selling flamethrowers.
In a reverse psychology advertisement made via Instagram, Musk was seen playing with a flamethrower in a short clip. "Don't do this," he said in the caption, joking that a flamethrower would be a "super terrible idea." He added, "definitely don't buy one. Unless you like fun."
In a series of Twitter posts, the 46-year-old businessman said the company prepared 20,000 flamethrowers for anyone interested. He also made sure to periodically update his followers on the number of orders he has already received for the device.
In one particular post, he said, "When the zombie apocalypse happens, you'll be glad you bought a flamethrower. Works against hordes of the undead or your money back."
Even though it was a joke, it got the public talking. After all, the man who headed the creation of electronic cars at Tesla Inc. and the series of successful Falcon rocket launches at SpaceX is more than capable of creating a T-virus. There were those who speculated that Musk is secretly creating a zombie apocalypse to increase public demand for his flamethrowers.
Musk, however, denied the rumors, saying they are "completely false." In another post, the Tesla founder said millions of zombies are needed for a zombie apocalypse. "Where would I even get a factory big enough to make so many!?" he exclaimed.
Despite rumors, Musk's aggressive marketing seems to be working. As of his last update, they have already sold 10,000 flamethrowers. Anyone also interested to get the supposedly for fun only weapon can pre-order here for $500.
