The Boring Company: Elon Musk sells $10m worth of flamethrowers in four days
Billionaire’s latest novelty product has sold out despite warnings from the Home Office and US politicians
Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk has sold $10m (£7m) worth of “novelty” flamethrowers, just four days after the product went on sale, Reuters reports.
The South African-born billionaire confirmed on Thursday that all 20,000 examples of the $500 (£350) product have now been snapped up, with deliveries expected in the spring.
He said via his Twitter account that every flamethrower would come with a “complimentary” fire extinguisher and a plaque with the product’s serial number, ranging from one to 20,000.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Earlier, Musk joked that a flamethrower was a “super terrible idea” and you shouldn’t buy one “unless you like fun”.
The flamethrower is the second product released by Musk to promote his new tunnelling firm, the Boring Company.
Last December, the billionaire opened orders for a limited-edition Boring Company-branded cap, Reuters says. Second-hand, these are much in demand.
Sales of the flamethrower were not without controversy, The Guardian says. California-based democrat Miguel Santiago tried to block the tunnelling firm from selling the product.
The Daily Telegraph says the Home Office classes flamethrowers as an offensive weapon. As such, they are prohibited from entering the UK without the secretary of state’s permission.
A Boring Company spokesperson told Cnet that the flamethrower was “safer than what you can buy right now off-the-shelf on Amazon to destroy weeds.”
“Much like a rollercoaster, this is designed to be thrilling without danger,” the spokesperson said.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The art world and motherhood: the end of a final taboo?
Talking Point Hettie Judah's new touring exhibition offers a 'riveting riposte' to old cliches
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Musk's reliance on China draws rising scrutiny'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Biba: the story of a 'legendary emporium'
The Week Recommends Brand's 60th anniversary is being marked with retrospective celebrating the 'iconic shop's cultural importance'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Is Google's new AI bot 'woke'?
Talking Points Gemini produced images of female popes and Black Vikings. Now the company has stepped back.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk's most controversial moments
The Explainer The business mogul has a long history in the hot seat
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
2023: the year of the AI boom
the explainer This year, generative artificial intelligence bypassed the metaverse and became the next big thing in tech
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk's 'frivolous' but precedent-setting free speech fight with Media Matters
Talking Point The lawsuit is just the latest in Musk's ongoing tension with social media watchdogs
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Inside Sam Altman's 'extraordinary firing' from OpenAI
The Explainer AI superstar joins Microsoft after 'philosophical disagreement' with his old board that stunned tech world
By The Week UK Published
-
How Grok, Elon Musk's 'rebellious' AI bot, differs from the others
The Explainer Musk developed the bot as a competitor to ChatGPT
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Twitter's year of Elon Musk: what happens next?
Why Everyone's Talking About 'Your platform is dying', says one commentator, but new CEO is aiming for profitability next year
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Will Musk's rebranding ruin Twitter?
Talking Point Is Musk dooming his own company by scrapping its valuable brand, or is it all leading to something bigger?
By Harold Maass Published