Silicon Valley Crosswalks Hacked for Musk & Zuckerberg Voice Spoofs

Humor has always been a powerful tool, capable of shaping public opinion and taking down the powerful. This was recently demonstrated when someone hacked Silicon Valley crosswalks to play synthetic voice impersonations of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

Imagine waiting to cross the street and hearing, "Hi, this is Elon Musk... Welcome to Palo Alto, the home of Tesla Engineering." The impersonation continues with a darkly funny take on Musk's wealth and perceived loneliness, ending with "Fuck, I'm so alone."

The Zuckerberg impersonation is equally biting. "Hi, this is Mark Zuckerberg, but real ones call me the Zuck," the voice says, followed by a sarcastic assurance about the forced insertion of AI into our lives: "There's absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. Anyway, see ya."

The videos of these hacks have gone viral, racking up hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok and X. According to Palo Alto Online, the audio could be heard in Redwood City, Menlo Park, and Palo Alto before being removed.

Other choice quotes from the "Musk" impersonation include: "People keep saying cancer is bad, but have you tried being a cancer? It's fucking awesome." The "Zuck" voice boasts about "undermining democracy" and "cooking our grandparents' brains with AI slop."

One of the most poignant spoofs features "Elon" pleading for friendship: "Can we be friends? Will you be my friend? I'll give you a Cybertruck, I promise." It ends with a self-deprecating jab at Musk's morality.

This incident serves as a reminder that even in the heart of Silicon Valley, humor can be a potent form of social commentary, capable of poking fun at even the most powerful figures.