On May 11th, Elon Musk defied local health care officials and reopened his Tesla factory in Fremont, California. Now, via Washington Post and Vox, “several cases” of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed among his unfortunate workers. Musk initially closed his Tesla factories back in March, after coming into conflict with the Fremont police and Alameda County sheriff. Two months later, California state guidelines suggested that companies like Tesla could reopen, although the guidelines were non-binding and deferential to local health care officials. The Alameda County Public Health Department tried to block Tesla’s re-opening, but Musk did it anyway, while also suing the county. A few days later, the issue was resolved when Musk agreed to stricter safety measures. T...
Earlier this month, Grimes and Elon Musk welcomed a healthy baby boy, and they promptly set him up for years of therapy by naming him X Æ A-12. Now, without much explanation, the child has undergone a rebranding: X Æ A-Xii. There, that clears things up, doesn’t it? Via The Guardian, there’s been speculation that the child’s original name violated California law, which stipulates that only the 26 letters of the alphabet can be used. The new appellation would seem to fit the rule of law, swapping as it does a 12 for an Xii. Neither Musk nor Grimes has confirmed this as the reason, though in responding to an Instagram comment about the CA mandate, Grimes wrote, “Roman numerals. Looks better tbh.” Using the roman numerals for 12 instead of the modern English symbols won’t change...
After the internet discovered that the original name of Grimes and Elon Musk‘s child was not in compliance with California law, many were left wondering what the power couple would do next. Originally named X Æ A-12, the child’s name has now been changed to X Æ A-Xii. California State law restricts parents from using any numbers or symbols in a name, so the “12” was converted to Roman numerals. NME reports that the name change announcement came in the form of a reply to a follower’s comment on a now-deleted Instagram post. Earlier this month, Grimes provided a detailed breakdown on the origin of the name. In the tweet, she demonstrated how each letter and number signified something meaningful to the new parents. Back in February, Grimes released her ...
Families usually grow closer when a new baby arrives. However, Grimes, Elon Musk, and their newborn son aren’t what you would call your typical family. Just two weeks after the birth of X Æ A-12, Grimes’ mother is feuding with the Space X founder over Twitter. As The Cut points out, the familial tensions began with Musk’s controversial political comments over the weekend. On Twitter, he encouraged his followers to “Take the red pill,” using the memorable Matrix scene as a euphemism for a right-wing political awakening. (The Matrix director Lilly Wachowski promptly took him to task with an f-bomb.) The phrase “red-pilling” also happens to have been infamously adopted by men’s rights activists (more unsavory people, do we sense a pattern here?), and this is where Grimes’ mother, Sandy G...
When Elon Musk and Ivanka Trump used a reference from The Matrix to promote conservative policies, Matrix co-creator Lilly Wachowski chimed in to say, “Fuck both of you.” It all began earlier today, when Elon Musk tweeted out the words, “Take the red pill.” On its face, this is an allusion to an early scene in 1999’s The Matrix. The character of Neo (Keanu Reeves) is offered a choice between a red pill and a blue pill, which represent facing reality or returning to the pleasant illusions of a computer simulation. But the phrase has accumulated charged political meanings over the years. In many internet communities, “taking the red pill” is a euphemism for a conservative political awakening, and TheRedPill is the name of a notorious misogynist subreddit. Right-wing figures in...
Elon Musk has resumed production at his Tesla factory in Fremont, California, defying local shelter-in-place orders to slow the spread of COVID-19. “I will be on the line with everyone else,” he tweeted today. “If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me.” The Tesla CEO and new father seems hell-bent on making electric cars for people right now, as if those who could afford a Tesla in the first place are unable to wait a few months to purchase one. Apparently his Fremont factory is packed to the gills like a normal work day, reports NPR, because photos of its company parking lot show each spot filled. “California approved, but an unelected county official illegally overrode,” Musk tweeted. “Also, all other auto companies in US are approved to resume. Only Tesla has been singled out. Th...
Grimes and Elon Musk broke the internet earlier this week when they announced the name of their newborn. On May 5th, they welcomed little X Æ A-12 to the internet, and a universal “huh?” was heard worldwide. In not so surprising news, it turns out that California law prohibits the registration of a legal name consisting of symbols and numbers. Family law attorney David Glass informed People that while the couple’s choice of name doesn’t technically break any laws, it wouldn’t be accepted as valid by the state. “In California, you can only use the ’26 characters’ of the English language in your baby name,” Glass said. “Thus, you can’t have numbers, Roman numerals, accents, umlauts, or other symbols or emojis. Although an apostrophe...
Elon Musk and Grimes‘ new bundle of joy sent the Internet into a spiral of confusion when the couple announced that their baby boy’s name is X Æ A-12. It remains unclear whether or not they’re trolling, or if the name is a code for another, more pronounceable one, but if they are being serious, the moniker won’t be valid in the state of California where the baby was presumably born. “In California, you can only use the ’26 characters’ of the English language in your baby name,” family law attorney David Glass told People. “Thus, you can’t have numbers, Roman numerals, accents, umlauts or other symbols or emojis. Although an apostrophe, for a name like ‘O’Connor,’ is acceptable.” Furtherm...
Remember that infamous “Math Lady” meme? The one with the confused woman trying to figure out the equations swirling around her head? After Grimes‘ attempt at an explanation behind her new baby boy’s name, we are all that woman. Following the birth of X Æ A-12, which Elon Musk commemorated with a picture of the newborn edited with a face tattoo filter, Grimes took to Twitter to offer up a stupefying explanation that does little to demystify the bizarre name. The Twittersphere, of course, has been buzzing with ludicrous theories and explanations, lionizing Grimes as both profound and ridiculous. The jury is still out on the pronunciation of the name, but one woman did her best to offer some clarity.
Grimes and Elon Musk welcomed a healthy baby boy into the world on Monday. Musk shared the news on his Twitter account, revealing that “mom & baby all good.” He tweeted that the baby is named “X Æ A-12 Musk”, which fans are theorizing translates to either “Ash” or “Sasha”. (The Æ is an e-ligature pronounced ‘ash’; when you combine the X, ‘ash’ and A, you get Sasha.) Meanwhile, “A-12” appears to be a reference to the Lockheed A-12 OXCART, a reconnaissance aircraft built for the CIA. The codename for the A-12 is “Archangel”. Grimes also has an album called Art Angels. So, the little baby’s full name could be Ash or Sasha Archangel Musk. Elon liked a tweet suggesting as much. Along with the name, Musk shared two photos of the baby. You can see them below. Grimes and Musk have be...
Grimes and Elon Musk (photo via Getty Images), X Æ A-12 (photo via Twitter/@elonmusk) On Monday, Grimes and Elon Musk welcomed a new baby boy into the world. Upon sharing the news on Twitter, Musk told his followers that the baby is named “X Æ A-12”, which seems like a joke until you remember this is Grimes and Elon Musk’s baby. Now, Grimes has seemingly confirmed the name while providing some context for its meaning. According to Grimes, “X” refers to “the unknown variable” and “Æ “is “my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence).” If you guessed “A-12” refers to the Lockheed A-12 OXCART, the reconnaissance aircraft built for the CIA, you’d be right. “No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent,” Grimes explained. Additionally, the “A...
Tom Cruise has scaled skyscrapers, he’s hung from the side of a flying plane, he’s jumped from an even higher plane, and he’s nearly grown gils while free diving underwater. For his next stunt, however, he wants to leave Earth altogether — and he’s found a perfect partner-in-crime to make it happen. According to Deadline, the blockbuster star is working with Elon Musk, his Space X program, and NASA to shoot the first narrative feature film in space. They report this isn’t for one of the forthcoming Mission: Impossible films, both of which are currently being delayed amidst the pandemic, but for another film altogether. Update: NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine has confirmed the project, saying, “NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station! We need popular m...