In brief
Investigations are underway after pedestrian signals in California were hijacked to broadcast humorous messages from Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
Pedestrian crossings in several parts of northern California have been the target of a prank, with fake audio messages mocking tech billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Authorities in Silicon Valley have begun investigations and subsequently disabled the audio functionality of these signals, which typically provide instructions like "walk" or "wait." The cheeky messages were first reported over the weekend in areas including Palo Alto, Redwood City, and Menlo Park, the latter of which is home to Zuckerberg's Meta campus. One impersonation from Musk playfully offered to buy pedestrians a Tesla Cybertruck if they "agreed to be his friend." A message from someone impersonating Zuckerberg humorously introduced him as “The Zuck,” adding to the comedic nature of the incident. As of now, officials are still trying to determine who orchestrated these messages and how they managed to hijack the pedestrian crossings. Pedro Quintana, a spokesperson for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), confirmed that around 10 crossings were affected in the Menlo Park and Palo Alto regions. These particular crossings are now operating on a timer, and the buttons that activated the fake messages have been disabled.The humorous messages surfaced in an area where both tech leaders maintain business interests. One particular message in a Musk-like voice welcomes individuals to Palo Alto, home of Tesla. It quips, “You know, they say money can’t buy happiness... and I guess that’s true. God knows I’ve tried,” as shared in a widely circulated video. Meanwhile, a fake Zuckerberg message began with an introduction before elaborating on integrating AI into "every facet of your conscious experience." Despite the widespread attention, neither Musk nor Zuckerberg has publicly commented regarding the incident. The city of Palo Alto disclosed that at least 12 pedestrian crossings in its downtown area were involved in the hack. Meghan Horrigan-Taylor, a spokesperson for the city, indicated that the malfunction was noticed by a city employee on Saturday, with suspicions that the tampering may have occurred the prior day. She further noted that until repairs are completed, the audible features on the affected signals will remain disabled, although other traffic signals in the city were thoroughly checked to ensure isolated incidents. Local news outlets also reported similar hacks affecting several crossings in the Redwood City area, creating a mix of amusement and concern throughout the tech-centric community.
