Elon Musk Is Hiding Tesla Price Cuts Behind a 69 Joke

You can now buy a Model S for the nice price of $69,420

tesla model s $69,420
You can now buy a Tesla Model S for the nice price of $69,420.
Screenshot via Tesla.com

Elon Musk has never shied away from a good 69 joke, 420 joke or otherwise sex- or weed-adjacent joke (or bad joke, depending on your sense of humor).

The Tesla CEO previously followed only 69 accounts on Twitter. When Tesla shares rose to $420 last December, Musk tweeted “the stock is so high lol.” In July, Tesla sold red satin shorts for $69.420 to make fun of short sellers who bet against their stock. Tesla’s electric vehicle lineup includes the Model S, 3, X and Y — or S3XY. His birthday is even 69 days after 4/20 (seriously, look it up).

Now, Musk is taking it to another level by cutting the starting price of the high-performance Tesla Model S sedan to $69,420. On Wednesday night he tweeted, “The gauntlet has been thrown down! The prophecy will be fulfilled. Model S price changes to $69,420 tonight!” And right now, Tesla’s website reflects that change.


“The gauntlet” Musk is talking about is a reference to the Lucid Air, a Model S competitor from the former chief engineer of the Model S. Lucid Motors recently revealed the starting price of their electric sedan would be $69,900 (after the federal EV tax credit), so Musk is deliberately undercutting them. 

But don’t be fooled by Musk’s one-man PR machinations. While it may seem he has the upper hand here, Tesla is actually hiding price cuts behind a joke. After all, this is the second time this week Tesla has cut the price of the Model S in an effort to stay competitive in a growing EV market, something the automaker has been reluctant to do in the past. 

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.