A pedestrian crosswalk button at the intersection of Tobler Lane Northwest and Sutherland Avenue, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Vision Zero’s goal is to eliminate traffic fatalities on City roads by 2040.
San Francisco, California – Pedestrians in several Bay Area cities were startled this week by hacked crosswalk signals playing bizarre, AI-generated monologues in the voices of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos. The prank, which has since gone viral online, was the result of a coordinated breach of pedestrian signal systems in cities including Oakland, Alameda, San Francisco, and even as far north as Seattle.
The altered crosswalk buttons, once pressed, trigger monologues from what sound like tech titans Musk and Zuckerberg—created using deepfake audio tools. In one instance, a voice mimicking Zuckerberg said: “Hi, this is Mark Zuckerberg, but real ones call me the Zucc. It’s normal to feel uncomfortable or even violated as we forcefully insert AI into every facet of your conscious experience… there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.”
Another recording, impersonating Elon Musk, played an existential message: “Hi, this is Elon Musk… money can’t buy happiness, and I guess that’s true. God knows I’ve tried. But it can buy a Cybertruck, so that’s pretty sick, right?… I’m so alone.”
The hacker or group behind the stunt remains unidentified, though officials believe the attackers exploited outdated software in the pedestrian audio systems. No group has claimed responsibility, though online speculation has linked it to the hacker collective DonRoad Team, which recently threatened to target Musk’s digital infrastructure.
The timing of the hack comes amid growing public criticism of Musk’s deepening role in national politics. His close association with the Department of Government Efficiency—an agency behind sweeping federal budget cuts under Trump’s second administration—has triggered protests targeting Musk-owned companies.
The prank extended beyond California. In Seattle, pedestrians reported hearing an AI-generated Bezos voice at crosswalks in the University District and South Lake Union: “Hi, I’m Jeff Bezos… please, don’t tax the rich, otherwise all the billionaires will move to Florida, too.”
Videos of the messages have racked up millions of views on platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). Musk responded with a laughing emoji, sharing a clip that was viewed nearly 20 million times.
Local governments, including in Menlo Park and Redwood City, have temporarily disabled the compromised systems and are updating security protocols. “Tampering with city infrastructure is unlawful and poses a safety risk,” said Redwood City Deputy Manager Jennifer Yamaguma.
Authorities say full restoration is expected within days. Until then, pedestrians are advised to proceed with caution—and perhaps brace for billionaire commentary.
