--- title: "Without Evidence, Elon Musk Says He’s Saved Thousands of Lives in LA Wildfires" description: "Elon Musk is patting himself on the back for saving \"thousands of lives\" during the recent rash of wildfires in Los Angeles." date: "2025-01-14" modified: "2025-01-14" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-saved-la-wildfires" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "ai slop" - "elon musk" - "la wildfires" - "the digest" --- # Without Evidence, Elon Musk Says He’s Saved Thousands of Lives in LA Wildfires ![]() *\Image: Brandon Bell via Getty / Futurism\* ## Last Responder Elon Musk is patting himself on the back for saving "thousands of lives" during the recent rash of wildfires in Los Angeles — even though there's little evidence backing up that claim. In a video that the multi-hyphenate CEO [reshared on X-formerly-Twitter](), an AI voiceover alleged that the 53-year-old billionaire's "astonishing decision" to "generously donate" Starlink internet terminals to LA allowed people in the "disaster zone" to see coverage of the fires. As a result, "thousands of lives" were saved, the anonymous-created video claimed. "Many rescue requests and on-site firefighting operations were successfully carried out," the AI voiceover intoned, "thanks to the support of Starlink." https://www.twitter.com/DesireeAmerica4/status/1878507477500592144 ## LA Slop The video's robotic went on to cite — using bizarre syntax, factual errors, and without citing any names or using any quotes — a gratitude message posted by someone who escaped the fires. "What's more: a survivor of the Eaton fire also expressed on social media gratitude to Musk and the Tesla team for the 'biohazard defense mode,'" the masculine-voiced AI narrator said, "which protected him and his family during the fire — a feature that few people even knew about." Charitably speaking, the video might have been referencing a post by someone who claimed to have survived the nearby Palisades fire thanks to the "bioweapon defense mode," which [clears cabin air using a massive HEPA filter](). "When biodefense mode actually comes in handy for the Palisades Fire in LA," user @JosefInvesting posted. "This Tesla is literally saving my life. Never buying another brand ever again." But that's one person. Where are the thousands of residents saved by Musk that the video referenced? (And if anyone *has* saved that many people in LA, it's the [first responders Musk has been trashing]().) All told, this [AI slop]() has every warning sign from a robotic narrator to factual errors to a laughably outlandish core claim. Then again, this is the same person who called someone a "[pedo guy]()" after his [half-baked cave rescue mission in Thailand didn't work](), so credibility is kind of beside the point. *Updated to correct Elon Musk's age.* **More on Musk:** [*Firefighter Shuts Down Elon Musk to His Face*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()