In a peculiar incident this weekend, crosswalk buttons in multiple California cities have reportedly been compromised, resulting in the activation of voices resembling those of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Footage shared online depicts what appears to be Musk pleading for friendship, while a voice mimicking Zuckerberg boasts about actions that purportedly “undermine democracy” and “cook our grandparents’ brains with AI slop.”
A spokesperson for the city of Palo Alto confirmed to Palo Alto Online that 12 intersections in the downtown area had been affected. City officials have since deactivated the voice functions of the crosswalks while they work on repairs. They reassured the public that the signals are still operational as intended, adding that the tampering likely occurred on Friday.
Similar occurrences have been reported in Redwood City, where a deputy city manager indicated to The San Francisco Chronicle that an investigation is underway to address the situation. Reports also indicate that crosswalk buttons in Menlo Park may also be compromised.
These voice features serve an important purpose, assisting individuals with visual impairments in identifying when to “wait” and when the walk sign is active. The impact of these spoofed voices on the functionality remains unclear; however, videos suggest they may be adding to the standard safety messages rather than replacing them.
Several videos have surfaced featuring the simulated voice of Musk, with transcriptions provided below:
Hi, this is Elon Musk, and I’d like to personally welcome you to Palo Alto. You know, people keep saying, ‘cancer is bad,’ but have you ever tried being a cancer? It’s fucking awesome.
Hi, this is Elon Musk. Welcome to Palo Alto, the home of Tesla engineering. You know, they say money can’t buy happiness, and yeah, okay, I guess that’s true. God knows I’ve tried. But it can buy a Cybertruck, and that’s pretty sick, right? Right? Fuck, I’m so alone.
Hi, I’m Elon. Can we be friends? Will you be my friend? I’ll give you a Cybertruck, I promise. Okay, look, you don’t know the level of depravity I would stoop to just for a crumb of approval.
A particular video featured a voice imitating President Donald Trump, humorously commenting on Musk’s connections:
Not Musk: You know, it’s funny, I used to think he was just this dumb sack of shit. But once you get to know him, he’s actually pretty sweet and tender and loving.
Not Trump: Sweetie, come back to bed.
Another video showcased a message purportedly from Zuckerberg’s voice:
Hey, it’s Zuck here. I just want to tell you how very proud I am of everything we’ve been building together. From undermining democracy to cooking our grandparents’ brains with AI slop, to — to making the world less safe for trans people. Nobody does it better than us, and, uh, and I think that’s pretty neat. Zuck out!
Other simulated Zuckerberg messages found online echoed similar sentiments:
Hi, this is Mark Zuckerberg, but real ones call me ‘the Zuck.’ You know, it’s normal to feel uncomfortable or even violated as we forcefully insert AI into every, every facet of your conscious experience. And I just want to assure you, you don’t need to worry, because there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. Anyway, see ya.
