Elon Musk purchased Twitter for $US44 ($61) billion just two weeks ago and he’s already made a complete mess of the social media company. Advertisers are fleeing, literal neo-Nazis are getting verified, and impersonator accounts are running rampant. And Musk needs to figure out a way to make $US1.2 ($2) billion in debt payments each year or risk the company going bankrupt.
Musk is clearly just trying to change Twitter based on vibes and the input of the worst people on the planet, with no grand plan. The “official” verification badge has even returned for some reason, but that hasn’t stopped plenty of accounts that spent $US8 ($11) to get verified from pretending to be governments, politicians, celebrities, and brands.
There’s a fake SpaceX account tweeting about its lucrative government contracts, a fake Kari Lake account saying that she lost her election in Arizona, and a fake Apple account trying to sell literal air, just to name a few.
“Going forward, accounts engaged in parody must include ‘parody’ in their name, not just in bio,” the real Musk tweeted on Thursday night.
“To be more precise, accounts doing parody impersonations. Basically, tricking people is not OK,” Musk continued.
Musk has previously called himself a “free speech absolutist,” a concept which has clearly been chucked out the window at Twitter. But his desire to “democratize” the checkmark has led to countless impersonator accounts that are all fun and games until the lawsuits start. Believe it or not, Twitter only introduced verification after it was sued over a fake account for Tony La Russa, the White Sox manager, in 2009.
Today, we have a collection of 15 fake accounts that have spent their $US8 ($11) to get verified and have been causing chaos on Twitter. But we can say with some confidence there are way more fake accounts than the ones we’ve identified here. And it’s unlikely to stop until Musk abandons his plan to give anyone with $US8 ($11) a checkmark.
Fake SpaceX
Elon Musk seems to be ignoring his other companies while he’s destroying Twitter. One of those companies, SpaceX, makes billions of dollars from government contracts, a fact that a fake SpaceX account would like to remind people of.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that we will be ceasing all missions. We plan to funnel $US240 ($333) million in outstanding government subsidies to groups dedicated to sustainable agriculture and ending World Hunger. We cannot look to other planets to solve our problems here,” the fake SpaceX account tweeted.
There are plenty of other tweets from the fake account, including, “Who up horny for aliens who wanna get they dick sucked by a grey.”
Fake election denier Kari Lake
The votes for who won the governor race in Arizona are still being counted. But someone has made a fake verified account for Republican Kari Lake, a pro-Trump candidate who has falsely claimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen by President Joe Biden.
“It is with heavy heart that I must concede to my opponent, @katiehobbs. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted but I promise we’ll be back even stronger in next year’s gubernatorial election,” fake Kari Lake tweeted.
Fake Nestle
Nestle, a company that steals water from federal land in the U.S. and then sells it back to Americans under brand names like Arrowhead, has a verified imposter on Twitter right now.
“We steal your water and sell it back to you lol,” the fake Nestle account tweeted.
And while the account is accurate, it’s nonetheless fake.
Fake Donald Trump
When Elon Musk first bought Twitter, everyone assumed former president Donald Trump would be returning soon. And while he’s not back yet, there are plenty of imposters pretending to be the neo-fascist.
“I take full responsibility for January 6th,” the fake Donald Trump tweeted in just one of several tweets overnight.
If only Trump could take responsibility in real life for his attempted coup.
Fake Apple
Apple was a Twitter holdout for years before finally joining the social media platform in 2016. But that could obviously change if Twitter lets imposters get verified on the platform.
“Introducing Apple Air+. A brand new, innovative group of atoms specifically tuned to enhance your Apple Store experience. Now required for entry into Apple Stores globally. We think you’re going to love it. $US9.99 ($14)/30m,” the fake Apple account tweeted.
Fake Paul Graham
Venture capitalist Paul Graham appears to have an impersonator who’s making crude jokes about fellow investor Jason Calacanis, who was recently brought on to help “fix” Twitter by Elon Musk.
“Jason Calacanis is no longer welcome at YC Demo Days, Tech Talks, or the yearly YC 69 under 69 Muir Woods Startup Suck-n-Fuck,” the fake Paul Graham tweeted.
Fake Doug Ford
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the brother of the infamous late Toronto mayor Rob Ford, has an impersonator that’s been verified with the handle DougFord_ON, which looks pretty authentic until you read the tweets.
“Folks, apparently there’s a lot of sick kids in Ontario right now. If you’ve got a sick kid, I want you to know that I do not want them anywhere near my cottage,” the fake Doug Ford tweeted.
Fake anti-trans activist Matt Walsh
Matt Walsh, an anti-trans bigot and filmmaker, has at least one verified impersonator on the platform right now.
“We must ban transgenders from all aspects of society (except from the porn I watch),” the fake Matt Walsh tweeted.
Fake Tesla
A fake Tesla account, which even has “real” in its handle, has been tweeting embarrassing things about the electric vehicle maker and its less-than-perfect robot vision.
“Our analysis engineers simulate hundreds of impact scenarios before ever killing a child in real life,” the fake Tesla account tweeted with a video of a Tesla striking a dummy the size of a child.
Yes, the video is very real.
Fake Nintendo
“Israel will be dealt with and it will cease to exist if Mario has anything to say about it inshallah,” the fake Nintendo account tweeted.
The account has also tweeted things like video of an apparently pregnant and farting Bowser as well as a can of “Pikachu foreskins.”
Fake Utah House of Representatives
If you see an account called the Utah House of Representatives you may want to double check the bio.
“Remember in Utah we protect kids*! *Unless they’re trans, homeless, poor or nonwhite,” the fake Utah House of Representatives tweeted.
Fake right-wing influencer Glenn Greenwald
Right-wing influencer Glenn Greenwald has always been a Ron Paul-style Republican, but many people spent the 2010s believing he might be a lefty. In recent years, many people have felt betrayed to learn he’s actually just a boring Republican with libertarian tendencies.
“OK, you got me. I actually like Mr. Trump,” the fake Greenwald account tweeted.
Honestly, it’s kind of true. But it’s also fake.
Fake Eli Lilly
A prankster set up an account to look like pharma giant Eli Lilly on Thursday, tweeting, “We are excited to announce insulin is free now.”
The real Eli Lilly, which has the handle LillyPad, apologised for the imposter on Thursday. But the fake account had over 1,500 retweets and 10,000 likes before it was deleted, according to the Washington Post.
Fake Ben Shapiro
Right-wing podcaster Ben Shapiro has been the target of parody in the past, but now there’s a blue checkmark that goes along with the tweets.
“Who up suckin n fuckin a dude i am,” the fake Ben Shapiro account tweeted.
Fake pro-Trump influencer Nick Adams
Australian-American Nick Adams has made a name for himself on Twitter as the pro-Trump guy who’s obsessed with Hooters and constantly needs to say how “alpha” he is. But that same visibility on Twitter has apparently turned into a liability, with someone starting a verified account that mimics his photo and style.
“BREAKING NEWS: I am officially declaring November as ‘Hooters Month’ to emphasise the need for strong family values to return to the USA,” the fake account tweeted.
Honestly, it’s tough to tell the difference between the fake Adams and the real one here. Good work.