A digital platform pulled an April Fools’ prank on its audience, asserting that Tesla had been acquired.
WASHINGTON — It’s April Fools’ Day, which necessitates heightened internet awareness as businesses and brands engage in playful pranks and humorous promotions.
This year, one particular April Fools’ Day “gag” took many by surprise, quickly trending on Google searches.
Did Warren Buffett acquire Tesla?
The financial education site GoBankingRates published a “satirical” article claiming that billionaire CEO Warren Buffett was purchasing Tesla from Elon Musk for $1 trillion.
“Although I’ve publicly said that I don’t understand technology firms, I’ve been secretly testing a Cybertruck in my Nebraska neighborhood at night,” the article purportedly quoted Buffett as saying during an April 1 conference call.
The piece further suggested that Elon Musk would assume a new title as “chief meme officer.”
However, the conclusion of the article stated, “APRIL FOOLS! This article is completely satirical and was published on April 1, 2025. Warren Buffett has not purchased Tesla, and all quotes and details in this article are fictional.”
The joke quickly circulated online, trending on Google, and was briefly featured on Yahoo! News and AOL.com before being swiftly removed from those sites.
Yahoo! News eventually responded to the prank with their own article, detailing the April Fools’ Day jokes they had encountered that day, stating, “In reality, while Musk has publicly suggested that Buffett invest in Tesla, Buffett does not appear to be interested in the company.”
GoBankingRates also released another April Fools’ prank claiming that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) would distribute $1 million stimulus checks to Republicans.
