FACT-CHECK: Did Elon Musk Launch a ‘Mind-Controlling’ Phone?
Claim: A viral TikTok video trending across TikTok, Facebook, X, WhatsApp, and YouTube claims that Elon Musk has launched a groundbreaking smartphone called the Tesla Pi Phone or PifPhone. The video alleges that Musk unveiled a device that needs no SIM card or Wi-Fi because it connects directly to SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, offering global connectivity in deserts, oceans, and during power outages.
According to the video, the supposed Pi Phone comes with built-in solar charging, outperforms every smartphone currently on the market, and is priced at $789. The clip further claims that the phone will soon integrate with Musk’s Neuralink brain-implant chip, allowing users to control the device with their minds, including typing, driving, unlocking doors, or sending money through “a single thought.”
The viral content also features images of Musk and a sky-blue device mock-up, positioning the invention as a threat to Apple and Samsung while framing it as the beginning of a new technological era.
The clip has generated widespread debate, with many users interpreting it as confirmation that Musk has launched a mind-controlling smartphone.
Elon Musk is a globally recognised tech entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink, xAI, and Neuralink. His companies have pioneered innovations in electric vehicles, reusable rockets, satellite internet, artificial intelligence, and neural interface technologies.
In late 2024, he briefly served in President-elect Trump’s transition framework as head of a government-efficiency initiative before withdrawing in mid-2025. Musk remains one of the most influential figures in global technology.
Verification: PRNigeria’s fact-check team conducted a full investigation into the authenticity of the viral video.
A keyword and metadata analysis shows the clip began trending in November 2025, with indicators consistent with previous AI-generated hoaxes linked to fake Tesla phone announcements.
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A review of official sources, Musk’s verified X account, Tesla’s website, SpaceX updates, and regulatory filings, shows no announcement of any smartphone project. Musk has never confirmed the existence of a Pi Phone and has repeatedly distanced himself from rumours of a Tesla-branded handset.
Neuralink, while advancing brain-computer interface technology, has no product that integrates with a smartphone, nor any project enabling mind-controlled payments or device operations. Current Neuralink trials focus strictly on medical support for patients with paralysis. Musk has touted Neuralink as the future of technology and medicine, but ethical concerns have been raised around the chip and its testing.
For Starlink, its Direct-to-Cell technology allows satellite-to-mobile connectivity for ordinary smartphones through telecom partnerships, not through a special Tesla device. The claim of “global, unlimited, satellite-only connectivity without SIM or Wi-Fi” is technically inaccurate.
A forensic review of the viral video detected AI-generated visuals, voiceover inconsistencies, digitally rendered device mock-ups, and recycled CGI elements used in earlier Pi Phone hoaxes dating back to 2021.
Similarly, cross-checks with credible news outlets, BBC, Reuters, AP, Bloomberg, Forbes, TechCrunch, confirm that no legitimate media organisation has reported any Musk phone announcement.
Conclusion: PRNigeria’s findings show that the viral video is a digitally fabricated hoax, using AI graphics and false claims to mislead viewers. There is no Tesla phone, no mind-control smartphone, and no Neuralink-enabled consumer device on the market.
Verdict: FALSE, Elon Musk did not launch a mind-controlling phone, and the so-called “Tesla Pi Phone” does not exist.
By PRNigeria
