Pedestrians across several Bay Area cities have experienced crosswalk signals that played audio resembling Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
The audio, created using deepfakes of the tech CEOs' voices, were circulated by an anonymous hacker or group who gained access to the pedestrian crossing systems in cities including Alameda, Oakland, and San Francisco.
Newsweek contacted the Palo Alto police force for more information on this story via email.
Why It Matters
The hack comes amid rising public backlash toward Elon Musk due to his role in the federal government. Musk has become one of the faces of Trump's second administration, and his association with the cuts to spending made by the Department of Government Efficiency has led to protests against his companies.
What To Know
The crosswalk buttons in question, once pressed, played monologues in AI-generated voices that mimic Musk and Zuckerberg.
One message, imitating Zuckerberg, said: "Hi, this is Mark Zuckerberg, but real ones call me the Zucc.
"It's normal to feel uncomfortable or even violated as we forcefully insert AI into every facet of your conscious experience, and I just want to assure you that you don't need to worry, because there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it."
Another audio, this time posing as Musk, said: "Hi, this is Elon Musk. They say money can't buy happiness, and I guess that's true. God knows I've tried.
"But it can buy a Cybertruck, so that's pretty sick, right? F*ck, I'm so alone."
The prank was first noticed by pedestrians and shared widely on social media, Musk himself reacting to the clip with a laughing emoji, sharing a video which was viewed almost 20 million times.
The source of the hack has not yet been identified. Officials believe that the system breach occurred remotely, exploiting outdated software that controls pedestrian audio prompts.
The affected systems have been temporarily disabled, and local governments are implementing updates to secure them. Oakland transportation authorities said that they expect to restore normal service within the next few days.
It's not the first time Musk has been the target of a hack. Earlier this month, hacker group DonRoad Team promised they would target the billionaire's company sites and attempt to dismantle his online presence. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the hack in California.
What People Are Saying
Palo Alto spokesperson Meghan Horrigan-Taylor told Newsweek: "On Saturday morning a City employee noted that the voice announcement feature of the crosswalk at the intersection of University Ave. and High St. was not functioning properly.
"It was later determined that 12 downtown intersections were similarly malfunctioning, and that tampering may have occurred on Friday. City staff have disabled the audible feature until further repairs can be made. Other traffic signals in the City were checked and the impact is isolated. Signal operations are otherwise unaffected, and motorists are reminded to always exercise caution around pedestrians."
What Happens Next
Authorities have said that they expect the crosswalk systems to be back online in the next few days.
Update 4/17/25, 3:19 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Meghan Horrigan-Taylor.
