• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Elon Musk broke a Tesla Cybertruck window while proving how indestructible they were

Home> News

Published 20:08 2 May 2023 GMT+1

Elon Musk broke a Tesla Cybertruck window while proving how indestructible they were

The embarrassing moment wiped a reported $768 million (£590m) from the Tesla founder's net worth in just one day

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Elon Musk once broke a Tesla Cybertruck window while proving how indestructible they were during a live demo.

Yes, it was very, very awkward:

Tesla’s Cybertruck is designed to have the ‘utility of a truck with sports car performance’, having been built to be ‘durable, versatile, capable and high-performance'.

It looks a remote-control car made out of stainless steel, but when he unveiled the prototype back in November 2019, Elon Musk seemed happy enough.

Advert

In fact, he was so confident in the vehicle’s rock-hard credentials, he asked Tesla design chief Franz von Holshausen to try and break the glass of the 'shatterproof' glass during a launch demo.

"You want a truck that's really tough, not fake tough,” he said.

“You want a truck you can take a sledgehammer to, a truck that won't scratch, doesn't dent."

Awkward.
Tesla

The only thing is, when von Holshausen launched a steel ball at the car, he actually ended up breaking two windows.

Advert

Still, Musk was adamant that the test wasn't a complete failure, telling the room: "A little room for improvement. Alright, let's see... So yeah... We threw wrenches, we threw everything - we even literally threw the kitchen sink at the glass and it didn't break.

"For some weird reason it broke now, I don't know why. We'll fix it in post."

It didn’t take long for people to start comparing the Cybertruck reveal to the moment Homer Simpson unveiled his own disastrous car design at his long lost brother's expense, while others suggested it belonged in a Tomb Raider video game from the mid-90s.

It's certainly... angular?
Tesla

According to Forbes, the embarrassing twist during the big reveal of the futuristic Cybertruck wiped $768 million (£590m) from the Tesla founder and CEO's net worth in just one day, after the company's share price dropped by six percent.

Advert

But Musk decided not to shy away from the incident, and later took to Twitter to crack a joke about the incident.

He tweeted: "Franz throws steel ball at Cybertruck window right before launch. Guess we have some improvements to make before production haha."

Musk also went on to explain what had happened, having responded to a fan on Twitter.

He wrote: "Sledgehammer impact on door cracked the base of the glass, which is why the steel ball didn't bounce off.

"Should have done steel ball on window, then sledgehammer the door. Next time."

Featured Image Credit: Tesla

Topics: Elon Musk, Celebrity, Technology, Tesla

Jess Hardiman
Jess Hardiman

Jess is Entertainment Desk Lead at LADbible Group. She graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

X

@Jess_Hardiman

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
10 hours ago
  • 9 hours ago

    Everything we know about Texas floods that have killed at least 121 as Trump arrives at disaster site

    The President and the First Lady have headed to the state one week after the horror floods wreaked havoc

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    Scientists make surprising discovery at what lies under Antarctic ice sheet after its been covered in ice for 34 million years

    It could help scientists predict the future of the ice sheet

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Paedophile to be surgically castrated after raping girl, 6, in nation's shock new punishment tactic

    It comes a year after a law was passed in Madagascar permitting the controversial punishment

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Scientists think they've worked out what unknown interstellar object in our solar system is

    It came from outside our own solar system

    News
  • Elon Musk explained why he sent Tesla Roadster into space seven years ago as it's revealed where it is now
  • Tesla Cybertruck owner reveals how much it cost him to charge the car for one month as people ask ‘how is that possible'
  • Elon Musk reacts furiously to reports Tesla is ‘looking for his replacement’ as CEO
  • How Elon Musk has lost £41,000,000,000 since the start of 2025