Amid the flurry of news surrounding Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, one big question still remains: what will happen to Musk’s private jet, and will we still be able to track it once the purchase goes through?
The teenager who tracks the jet says he’s made a backup plan, just in case Musk decides the account is too much of a security risk to leave it active on Twitter after his purchase of the platform is finalized.
Tracking planes is oddly soothing.
In addition to the multitude of apps that track flights in the sky, there are also some more specific flight trackers.
We present for your consideration the @ElonJet Twitter account, which does nothing but track the whereabouts of Elon Musk’s private jet.
Musk isn’t a big fan of the account.
The account, which is run by 19-year-old Jack Sweeney, isn’t exactly endorsed by the world’s richest man. Back in January, Musk offered Sweeney $5,000 to shut down the account.
Sweeney declined.
The account occasionally dabbles in other flights.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, @ElonJet started tracking the jets of Russian oligarchs , which he spun off into an automated account called @RUOligarchJets . That account now has over 423,000 followers. @PutinJet , a spinoff of the spinoff, has 114,000 followers.
Could he be in Elon Musk’s crosshairs?
It’s unlikely that Musk has a problem with the Russian jet tracking accounts, but the billionaire made it very clear that he doesn’t like the @ElonJet account.
Now that Musk is on the verge of buying Twitter, what’s it mean for @ElonJet?
Sweeney has a backup plan.
Just in case Musk decides to take down @ElonJet, Sweeney tweeted out a list of platforms — including Instagram and Facebook — where followers will continue to be able to track the whereabouts of the jet.
Would Musk actually take it down?
On one hand, Musk doesn’t like his flights being tracked. On the other hand, all of his public statements surrounding his purchase of Twitter have centered around free speech. It would seem somewhat hypocritical if he didn’t allow the account to stay.
Sweeney is willing to take the account down if need be.
Strangely enough, Sweeney tagged Musk in a tweet saying they could “figure something out.” It seems Sweeney is willing to surrender his Twitter account, even if the data is still available on other platforms.
Musk has not replied to the tweet.
Will they or won’t they?
Will Musk and Sweeney reach an agreement? Will Musk take the account away unilaterally? Will he forget it exists? These are just some of the possibilities.
Let us know what you think of this story in the comments section.
Last Updated on April 29, 2022 by D
