UPDATE 1/29: Over the weekend, the pre-order page went live, with Musk teasing a flamethrower "guaranteed to liven up any party!" The device will actually set you back $500 rather than $600, and you can throw in a fire extinguisher for an extra $30.
As of early Monday morning, 7,000 flamethrowers have been ordered, Musk tweeted. The Boring Company reportedly has 20,000 to go around. The whole thing is still rather bizarre, with Musk tweeting jokes about the device and his intentions for it.
But wait, there's more: the flamethrower is sentient, its safe word is "cryptocurrency" and it comes with a free blockchain — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2018
The rumor that I'm secretly creating a zombie apocalypse to generate demand for flamethrowers is completely false — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2018
And here it is in action:
Original Story 1/26:
Evidence is mounting that Elon Musk may actually be getting ready to start selling a flamethrower. Either that, or the transportation entrepreneur is orchestrating an elaborate prank.
Musk first announced plans to launch a flamethrower in December when his latest startup, The Boring Company, started selling branded baseball caps. "After 50k hats, we will start selling The Boring Company flamethrower," SpaceX and Tesla CEO teased on Twitter before reiterating the promise later that month with the tweet "Hats sold out, flamethrowers soon!"
Some took those tweets as a joke while others surmised that The Boring Company is planning to sell pocket-sized flamethrowers, aka lighters.
As The Verge first reported, the mystery deepened this week when a Reddit user discovered the following password-protected URL: "boringcompany.com/flamethrower." It didn't take long before someone was able to figure out the super-secure password ("flame") and break into the site. Don't bother trying that password anymore, because it's since been changed.
When they got in, users discovered what appeared to be a pre-order page for an actual Boring Company flamethrower. A screenshot posted on Twitter indicates that Musk and Co. plan to sell the fire-wielding device for $600.
"Prototype pictured above," the product description reads, before hilariously noting that the "final production flamethrower will be better."
The Verge cited one Reddit user who said the flamethrower is slated to ship in April, causing the site to speculate that this may be an April Fool's Day joke. As for what actually comes to pass, we'll just have to wait and see.