Enigmatic SpaceX CEO is selling flamethrowers to help fund his latest business venture
Elon Musk has been likened to the real-life Tony Stark aka Ironman. John Favreau the director of Ironman agrees with this little nugget of PR embellishment, with some scenes from Ironman 2 being shot on location at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California.
So, it should come as no surprise that the eccentric billionaire is now selling flamethrowers to raise funds for his latest business, The Boring Company.
Musk set up the Boring Company in December 2016 after getting stuck in traffic and tweeting: “Traffic is driving me nuts. (I) Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging …”
Musk created the company with the idea in mind to connect major cities via underground tunnels that will house super-fast electric “skates” that can carry cars and people.
The flamethrower came about following a pledge Musk had made about the Boring company baseball caps. He said the if they sold 50,000 hats at $20 each then he’d start selling flamethrowers. The hats sold out and Musk kept his word with the flamethrowers going on sale last Sunday for $500. They made $3.5 million dollars in just the first day of being on sale.
Demand for the “World’s safest flamethrower!” as the website claims is high with 10,000 confirmed pre-orders already. The company has a total of 20,000 in stock so you’ll need to be quick if you want to pick one up.
You can also pick up a Boring Company branded fire extinguisher for $30 on the company’s website. The sale description says “Buy an overpriced Boring Company fire extinguisher! You can definitely buy one for less elsewhere, but this one comes with a cool sticker and the button is conveniently riiiight above.”
Regarding the safety and legality issues of using a flame, thrower Musk had this to say on Twitter.
“(US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) ATF says any flamethrower with a flame shorter than 10 ft.is A-ok. Our design is maxed fun for least danger. I’d be way more scared of a steak knife.”
If you’re wanting to purchase one in the UK though the Home Office Firearms act of 1968 deems flamethrowers as an offensive weapon and you could be charged with a criminal offense. It’ll also cost you an extra $250 to import one.
To be honest you can get a better flame jet with a lighter and a can of deodorant (Don’t do that!). What do you think about Elon Musk’s latest marketing strategy? Genius or lunatic? Drop a comment below. Why not check out what else Musk has been up to….
