Title: Elon Musk Shuts Down Links to Reporter's Probe into His Lookalike
While the online world was abuzz with speculations about an X user named Adrian Dittmann potentially being Elon Musk, investigative journalist Jacqueline Sweet was diving deep into reality. She uncovered the truth behind Dittmann, a German living in Fiji, and published her findings in The Spectator. Unfortunately, X is now restricting the sharing of her article and has even suspended her account for a month.
For over two weeks, the Dittmann question has consumed the tech press. Essentially, there's a user on X who passionately defends Elon Musk and shares a striking resemblance in speech and sentiments. Not so, claims Sweet. In her investigation published in The Spectator, she reveals that Dittmann is the son of a German software entrepreneur who has established various businesses in Fiji, including a forestry venture, a bottled water company, and a marina. One of these companies entered a $100 million Carbon Removal contest by the Musk Foundation in July 2021, the same month the Dittmann X account was created.
Attempting to share this fascinating story on X results in an error message that the link might be harmful. If you missed the Dittmann-Musk saga, consider yourself fortunate. Over the holidays, Musk stirred up controversy among MAGA followers with his wholehearted support for H1B visas and highly skilled immigrant labor. During the ensuing debate on X, both Dittmann and Musk appeared in Spaces, defending visas and labeling certain criticisms as racist.
Dittmann's uncanny resemblance to Musk in speech evoked comparisons, leading many to believe they might be the same person. This suspicion was further fueled by their shared defense of Musk's honor on multiple occasions. The first time this was noticed was during a 2023 Space, where Dittmann's speech struck a familiar chord. Dittmann acknowledged his Gibraltar and Moroccan background during this Space, information that aligns with the Fiji-based Dittmann tracked down by Sweet.
While the vocal similarities were often highlighted, there were clear differences in accents and writing styles. In fact, UC Berkeley professor Hany Farid claimed that while the voices of Dittmann and Musk were indeed similar, they were not identical. A study by Farid, based on a dataset, showed that only 0.5% of people share such an unusual voice similarity.
However, Sweet pointed out the discrepancies in writing styles and accents, contradicting the voice doppelganger argument. The saga took a wild turn when someone claiming to be Dittmann defended Musk on 4chan's controversial /pol/ board. This user's account revealed X admin access, which is unusual for a random blue check. This incident added fuel to the fire, further supporting the Elon Musk-Adrian Dittmann theory.
However, it's impossible to determine if the 4chan user and the Dittmann account's owner are the same person. The screenshot posted by the user could be manipulated or fabricated, raising several unanswered questions. To add to the mystery, Musk has been caught using alt accounts before. In 2023, he even posted a screenshot of an X account with his son's avatar, which often defended Musk and has since been suspended.
Jacqueline Sweet's investigation in The Spectator delivers a compelling explanation for the situation. Based on her findings, it appears that Dittmann is simply a Musk superfan with a voice that strangely resembles Elon's. Musk is known for his unconventional actions, and the possibility of him creating an alt account seems plausible, given his past behavior. After all, he responded to Sweet's investigation by acknowledging himself as Adrian Dittmann before the initial post was removed for violating X rules.
The technology industry is abuzz with the speculations about the future of X's handling of investigative journalism, following Sweet's suspension. In light of this incident, many tech experts are discussing the implications of tech companies controlling the dissemination of information.
As the tech world evolves, the future of online platforms like X will be shaped by these events, potentially leading to stricter regulations regarding user content and free speech.
