Elon Musk Fraud Scandal Has Divided The Internet, Israel Hamas Ceasefire, & DJI Drone Strike Problem
PDS Published 01/15/2025
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NOTE: POE is said “Pee, oh, eeeee” Like the names of the letters.
Elon Musk is a liar.
That’s what gamers are saying after months of Musk claiming to be a top player in games like Diablo 4 and the new Path of Exile 2:
Leading to accusations that he bought the accounts, as well as speculation from people like Moist Critical that Musk just has a NEED to be seen as smart and cool.
“It’s such a stupid, weird thing to lie about yet here he is telling blatantly obvious fibs. He has all the money in the world and all the insecurity imaginable. He has this desperate, insatiable appetite for love from everyone and this pursuit makes everyone hate him for being a lying cringelord.”
“Like this is such an unnecessary lie to even tell. He just wants to be viewed as the smartest person on this space rock that we live on and the best at everything he attempts to do even when he’s just not.” @21:39-22:18
Let’s back up a bit though because this entire situation has been playing out for months.
Right, as far back as November Musk was bragging about his gaming on Joe Rogan’s podcast:
“Are you top 20 in the world?”
“Yeah”
“Wow. In Diablo? You want to tell everyone your handle?”
“They actually listed me with my real name. Yeah there’s only two Americans in the top 20. Almost everyone is from Asia otherwise.” @:14[]
And more recently, he’s been posting on X about Path of Exile 2 -- which is a much harder and more complex game in the same genre that had its early access launch in early December.
Right, on December 17th, he streamed fighting the final endgame boss as a way to show off Starlink’s connectivity while even airborne. [broll]
He’s also been playing on the Hardcore game mode which means that if his character dies even a single time he has to make a new character and regrind all those levels, so it’s not really meant for casuals.
Which is why a lot of people were surprised when Musk revealed via his gaming X account that his new character, Percy, was already on the leaderboard.@:51
And then on January 7th, he did another livestream with the character, which was now level 97 and way up on the leaderboards. [broll]
This livestream is where borderline irrefutable proof came out that Musk wasn’t playing the account himself normally -- at least according to very experienced POE Hardcore players and streamers Quinn and Kripparian earlier this week.
(And as a note, you can say that we didn’t cover this earlier because a) the nerd on staff who would actually know how to tackle this story was at Jury Duty and/or b) we were waiting to see if Elon himself would actually respond, which he JUST did as I writing).
The first big giveaway was the level.
Quinn points out that getting to 97 is a major feat and takes fucking forever. @1:03
“Two weeks into the league when people are playing the game -- literally they’re staying up 40-50 hours without sleeping and ONLY playing path of exile, they are the most try-hard guys in the world. The highest ranked player in the world was level 93.”
He then points out that despite only being 4 levels away, it’s a big grind to get to 97 since the time required is exponentially more, summarizing that Elon has pretty much ONLY been playing POE.@1:22
Which must be especially true because this Percy character was seemingly made in early January AFTER his original character Kekimus Maximus died.
So this isn’t a month of progress, but a couple weeks at best doing almost nothing but playing Path of Exile..
Another red flag for Quinn was that Musk had items used for doing endgame content stored as Elon’s Maps -- all of which were relatively easy to complete.
The reason that stands out is that if you’re organizing your items, you’re not going to write “Phil’s Maps. Phil’s currency,” but instead just “maps.”
Which implied someone else had set these aside for Elon.
Not to mention that:
“Elon Musk didn’t play Path of Exile 1. In Path of Exile 2 maps are actually called ‘waystones’’ and he never actually calls them maps.
So again it’s kind of weird he calls this tab Elon’s Maps. It’s almost like someone who is a Path of Exile 1 veteran you know was kinda making that tab and going ‘Elon, there’s a tab for you called Elon’s Maps. I rolled them all for you nice and easy.” @2:03 -2:31
Quinn also says that Elon clearly doesn’t know how to navigate the endgame’s core system by clicking on something that is inaccessible over and over. @18:18
Right, he’d need to have interacted with this literally thousands of times to get to 97.
Or that when he’s fighting a boss, he runs out of resources… despite having ways to refill it instantly.[]
And then while playing, he doesn’t have what’s called a Loot Filter, which hides or highlights gear depending on how important it is.
His is just the game’s default, which no one uses that far into the game because
It’s universally used -- and I mean UNIVERSALLY -- because the amount of stuff that drops can be overwhelming.
It also makes it easier to see the good stuff that drops to pick up… which Musk could have used because he just walks by one of the game’s most useful and valuable currencies while playing since it’s not highlighted in a special way. @23:30
And finally, I’ll end with how he describes items… in short it’s claimed that he doesn’t know the fundamentals of how gear works.
The non technical version is that Musk claims his gear isn’t very good… despite likely being among the best in Hardocre right now.
“This weapon is a great staff, but it’s only a level 62 staff…”
“His weapon, I kid you not, is one the best -- if not THE best -- on the entire hardcore Trade League. You cannot even buy it. Insane weapon”
“These affixes are… I hate to say perfect but they might be perfect.” @8:08-8:30
Right, he claims that his gear is so many levels below his level 97 character… except in POE that has nothing to do with its power. It’s just the minimum requirement to use it.
(like there are items that require level 1 and are among the strongest in the game).
This isn’t also stuff that you can just find on the ground… a player would need to understand how to craft items and trade super efficiently to reportedly even attempt gear this good.
We could honestly go on, because there is more but I’ll let you check out Quinn’s video if you want even more granular details.
But Quinn ended his video by saying:
“And if you wanted more proof that Elon is 100% boosted… he is playing the game today, inside of maps, blasting, while simultaneously on an X Space talking to some far right wing part of the German government. Idk some political bullshit.” @11:00-11;15
All this was enough to convince a lot of people that Musk was lying about being this good at games.
Right, as we saw Moist Critical was just confused why he would even lie about this.
Others asked:
“Obv it’s kinda silly to be so invested in whether or not Elon is lying about his Diablo account, but it’s kinda clear he bought it. If he’s willing to go on Joe Rogan and lie about something so stupid, is this really someone you want influencing your government.” []
And,
“Why did it take a path of exile for people to realise elon musk is a fraud lol.” []
Asmongold is so confident that Musk didn’t piloted this account that he said: @:19-:41
“If Elon Musk can prove that he played this account to 97 I will stream on X starting the day that he proves it for an entire year straight every stream that I do.”
For his part, Musk has denied account sharing right as we were prepping this piece:
“Am I going to comment on the Chinese driver of my Path of Exile account? Yes, his name is Elon Ma and he’s amazing. I rely on him for everything.” []
And “I love my Chinese alter-ego.”
Although the fun may have come to an end because this character actually died at Rank 7 on the leaderboard.
So it’s back to square 1 for Musk… or whoever is playing that account insanely well.
With that, if you think Musk is lying… Why? Who is he trying to impress?
(I am trying to use distancing language throughout… but it IS irrefutable proof that Elon is not actually playing. I have over 10k hours in POE 1 and have played since 2012. I have played POE2 a lot since it came out and have cleared all the content in the game. I would bet everything that Musk didn’t get this character to this level. He has no idea whatsoever what he’s doing).
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And then let’s talk about why this new announcement from a drone company has some people a little concerned about what is going on in the sky.
The announcement comes from DJI, which reportedly has a 90% share of the global consumer drone market. []
And in a blog post this week, DJI announced that it is no longer geofencing its drones from flying over restricted areas like airports and certain government buildings.
With that post explaining:
“When DJI first introduced the GEO system in 2013, consumer drones were still a relatively novel technology, and formal drone flight rules and regulations were sparse. The geofencing system was created as a voluntary built-in safety feature to help foster responsible flight practices.”
“Since then, global regulations and user awareness have evolved significantly, with a greater focus on geo-awareness and Remote ID solutions which makes detection and enforcement much easier.”
So now, instead of having a geofence that prevents devices from going over restricted spaces, operators will get in-app alerts to notify them if they are near a restricted zone.
Or, as the Verge put it:
“only common sense, empathy, and the fear of getting caught by authorities will prevent people from flying where they shouldn’t.”[]
And it is worth noting that DJI is not violating any regulations by removing the geofence, with an FAA spokesperson telling the Verge that it does not require geofencing from manufacturers.
But some are still concerned, with DJI’s former policy VP writing:[]
“This is a remarkable shift in drone safety strategy with a potentially enormous impact.”
“There was substantial evidence over the years that automatic drone geofencing, implemented using a risk-based approach, contributed significantly to aviation safety.”[]
Others noting that this just comes as recent headlines have made many more wary of drones, right, the mystery sightings in New Jersey and other states concerned a ton of people.
Most recently, drone use actually disrupted the response to the wildfires in Los Angeles after a civilian drone collided with a firefighting plane.
The plane was able to land safely after the incident, but the collusion did puncture a hole in its wing, so it had to be grounded after that.
And that plane was one of the Super Scoopers that drop water over the fires, so taking it out of commission was a setback to putting out the fire.
And this happened even though flying a drone over a wildfire area is a no-no, right, the FAA imposed temporary restrictions barring any unauthorized drones from flying in zones that were impacted by the fires.
So the FBI is investigating this incident to find the operator of that drone.
But that is just one instance of drones getting in the way of these efforts, right, reports say that multiple drones have flown over the Palisades fire,
And this forces firefighting aircrafts to leave the area, and understandably pisses off the people who are on the front lines trying to put out these blazes.
So you have tons of people bringing that up amid DJI’s decision, especially since some reports are claiming that the drone involved in the collision was a DJI.[]
On top of all this, you also have some noting that DJI’s move will also raise intelligence and security concerns because DJI is a China-based company.[]
Congress is even considering banning sales of drones from major Chinese manufacturers.
For now, DJI is reminding drone users to follow local laws and obtain authorization to conduct flights in warning zones. []
Also noting that the US is not the first place to have geofencing rolled back, right, this update has been active in the UK and several European countries since last year.
But I would love to know your thoughts on this one, especially if flying drones is a hobby of yours or if you just have any experience with it at all.
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In absolutely massive international news, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire.
Probably…
Right, as of recording, mediators like the Qatari PM have said the agreement is set to go into effect on Sunday. []
But at the same time, they’re saying some details are still being hashed out.
Also, any agreement still needs to be formally approved by the Israeli cabinet and the government.
With Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu saying in a statement that officials hope the remaining concerns would be worked out sometime tonight.[]
And even then, according to NBC News, Israel’s Supreme Court would have an additional 24 hours to allow an appeal. []
Hamas, for its part, has not only confirmed but celebrated the ceasefire deal as an “achievement for [its] people” –
Also describing it is a “historic moment” in the conflict with its enemy
And praising Gazans for their “legendary resilience” in the face of the war.[]
And with that, we gotta talk about exactly what’s in this agreement.
Or, at least, what we know so far.
Right, because again, this is all developing in real-time, and we're learning about it as we go.
But with that, the deal seems to be some version of a three-phase deal that’s been floated for months.
Right, in the first phase, lasting six weeks, Hamas would reportedly release 33 Israeli hostages.
And to give some context there, Israeli officials say they believe 98 hostages remain in Gaza and that about only 60 are still alive.
And so, among those to be released first would be women, children, men over the age of 50, and men under the age of 50 who are wounded and sick.[]
And in exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinians held captive.
Specifically, according to Reuters, “Israel will release 30 Palestinian detainees for every civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier Hamas releases.” []
And besides that, the first phase would also reportedly involve the withdrawal of the IDF to a buffer zone in Gaza near the border with Israel.
Right, with Israel saying it won't completely withdraw from Gaza until all of the hostages are returned.
But also, notably, now agreeing to withdraw from two specific parts of the territory that have been, as Axios has explained, “a sticking point in past negotiations.” []
But in any case, on top of that, the deal would also reportedly allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.
Which – like a lot of the territory, but possibly more so – has been absolutely pummeled by Israeli strikes (1, 2, 3), been largely cut off from humanitarian aid, and been the site of multiple forced evacuations that aid groups say have only made things worse.
And with that, the deal would also reportedly require 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza every day.
With 300, a full half of them, specifically allocated to the north. []
And again, that’s all just phase one.
Right, phase two?
That’s still kind of up in the air.
With the two parties only agreeing so far that negotiations over a second phase should begin by the 16th day of phase one.
With that phase reportedly meant to bring about the eventual release of all remaining hostages, including Israeli male soldiers, a permanent ceasefire, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers. []
And finally, if we get that far, a third phase would include the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza's reconstruction –
Which would be supervised by Egypt, Qatar (KAH-tar), and the United Nations. []
And there, you have people wondering what this is really gonna look like long-term.
Right, for example, a Gazan professor of public policy speaking to The Washington Post, asking:
“Who’s going to govern Gaza? How will reconstruction be carried out? Who’s going to commit resources and financial means for this reconstruction?
“Will Israel cooperate, or will Israel introduce obstacles?”[]
And finally, saying: The “big missing element is political settlement or a political proposal to end this conflict.”[]
But of course, for the most part, anything to end the fighting is being celebrated as a win, at least by politicians.
With Biden issuing a statement applauding the tentative agreement and emphasizing his role in reaching it, saying:
“I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council.”
And going on to add that the deal is the result of both “the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under” and “dogged and painstaking American diplomacy,” adding:
“My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”
With him also delivering a speech shortly after where he outlined the details of the deal.
We also saw Trump chiming in and taking full credit for the deal, writing on Truth Social:
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies.”[]
And adding, “We have achieved so much without even being in the White House. Just imagine all of the wonderful things that will happen when I return to the White House, and my Administration is fully confirmed, so they can secure more Victories for the United States!”
And with that, we saw experts saying that while Biden deserves praise for his work on the negotiations, Trump isn’t totally wrong here…
Right, Trump has insisted that a ceasefire be put in place by the time he takes office, threatening great consequences.
And some officials and experts have credited those threats to help move negotiations forward.
This including the head of the U.S.-based Center for International Policy, who said the fact that the two sides have finally reached a deal after Trump’s threats “ironically shows how effective actual pressure can be in changing Israeli government behavior.”
But for now, we’re just going to have to wait and see how successful this deal actually is — that is, assuming it doesn’t totally fall apart at the last minute.
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It finally happened: South Korean President Yoon was arrested today.
It’s been widely expected that eventually Yoon would be arrested, but he’s been sitting in his fortified home for weeks.
And I mean “Fortified” literally as the Presidential Security Service has put up barricades and barbed wire everywhere.
All this comes after Yoon investigators had tried to arrest him nearly two weeks ago but were repelled by that same security team.
This time it looks like things were a lot easier.
According to Reuters, Yoon had turned himself into the CIO just as his home was about to be raided. []
But other outlets make it seem like he was arrested at home.[]
Either way, there were a relatively small number of pro-Yoon protesters near the residence, but there’s no indication they tried to stop the arresting officers as they were dismantling the barricades.
The CIO also added that “this time, there were no individuals or security staff actively obstructing the execution, and there were no significant physical clashes.”
So it looks like Yoon's security detail also didn’t intervene.
And it seems like the CIO was ready for that, because this time they also brought A LOT of police with them as backup. [broll if you cut out the right side][]
Yoon had also recorded a message just before getting arrested, saying that: [broll]
“This is an illegal investigation, but I will appear at the Corruption Investigation Office to prevent bloodshed.”
Yoon will likely try to defend his actions in court with the same defense he’s been using this entire time: the president is constitutionally allowed to declare martial law.
Clearly other lawmakers disagree and that’s probably a question for a court to decide.
But the stakes are extremely high both for Korea’s Constitution and for Yoon.
Right, it’s a big precedent to set and for Yoon the insurrection charges can lead to a death sentence. []
Something notable about today is that Yoon is the first sitting president in the country’s history to be arrested… which might actually be an improvement because plenty of past presidents were just assassinated.
Something that stood out for all of this is how the news affected the country’s economy.
Right, you’d think that an arrest like this would send shockwaves but the country’s stock market barely noticed and only dropped .02%. []
It’s likely that since this has been going on for so long everyone kinda already expected this outcome so there wasn’t much shock.
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In international news, Ukraine and Russia are seemingly throwing everything they have at each other ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Right, starting with Ukraine, this week conducting what’s been described as one of the largest attacks of its kind since the war began (BROLL: 1:13)
Reportedly hitting three different regions of Russia as well as the formerly autonomous Republic of Tatarstan (Tah-ter-stan - AUDIO HERE) – and striking as far as almost 700 miles into the country. .[]
Notably, with that being thanks to the help of American and British-made long-range missiles – the use of which the US and UK authorized for strikes inside Russia only back in November.
But with that, the strikes reportedly targeted Russian military and industrial facilities, including chemical plants, refineries, and oil and ammunition depots.
With the Russian defense ministry claiming it shot down all of the Western missiles fired at one of the most heavily targeted regions, as well as 146 drones outside the war zone. []
And of course, you also had Russia vowing to retaliate.
With the defense ministry saying in a a statement:
“These actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by Western curators, will not go unanswered.” []
And with that, announcing the next day that it had launched a strike on, quote:
“...critically important facilities of gas and energy infrastructure that ensure the functioning of Ukraine’s military industrial complex.”[]
With Zelensky responding on social media today, writing:
“Another massive Russian attack. It's the middle of winter, and the target for the Russians remains unchanged: our energy infrastructure. Among their objectives were gas and energy facilities that sustain normal life for our people.”
And with that, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, air, land and sea-based missiles — including at least one ballistic missile — were all launched in the attack, along with dozens of attack drones.
Many were reportedly shut down or otherwise failed to reach their target, but still, energy facilities in three regions reportedly suffered damage. []
And actually, the Ukrainian state energy company reported emergency power outages in six regions[]
With the energy minister announcing the temporary stoppages as “preventive restriction measures” in connection with the “massive’ Russian attack. []
And with that, this is just the latest in the Russian military’s repeated targeting of Ukrainian energy infrastructure – something that’s been described as a war crime.
With it all being an effort to wear the country down by denying them heat and electricity, especially during the winter, as well as disrupt defense manufacturing.
And with that, experts reportedly say the attacks have left the country’s energy network on the verge of collapse[]
And of course, these attacks aren’t just coming by air.
Right, this is a war with troops on the ground.
And with that, we’ve seen Russian troops advancing in the East, effectively laying siege to a city by the name of Pokrovsk (Po-krovsk).
And there, as a result, we’ve now seen Ukraine halting production at the city’s absolutely crucial coal mine.
And when I say crucial, I mean that it’s literally the only mine that produces the type of coal needed for the country's steelmaking industry – which is vital to the country’s war effort.
Right, without it, the Ukrainian steelmakers' union has said steel production might drop to less than 3 million metric tons in 2025 – down from 7.6 million last year.[]
And with metal and steel products being Ukraine’s second-biggest export industry, worth almost $4.4 billion in 2024, that might mean losing a lot of tax revenue that’s been funding the country’s defense []
Not to mention strip the military of essential materials used for armor production.[]
And with that, miners have kept working there up until the very last minute, even with Russian forces a few miles away and bombs raining down.
Right, the New York Times, for example, reporting that some miners opted to drive their own cars to the mine instead of taking the bus, to better evade drones that had appeared overhead.[]
But in any case, everything that’s happening in Ukraine right now, it’s got all this extra attention on it right now because Donald Trump is just days away from being president again.
With the New York Times saying, for example, that Ukraine’s attacks on Russia “have taken on added weight as Kyiv has apparently attempted to project strength… amid concerns [Trump] might temper U.S. support for Ukraine.” []
Right, like we’ve talked about, Trump?
He’s been deeply critical of aid to Ukraine, he’s being seen by some as having a “bromance” with Putin, and he’s effectively blamed Zelensky for the war.
And also, of course, Trump repeatedly claimed during his campaign he’d be able to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.
In fact, in his debate with Kamala Harris, he said he’d “get it settled” before he even became president (BROLL: 1:24). []
And that obviously hasn’t happened, and it doesn’t seem like it’s gonna happen on January 20th either.
So with that, we gotta talk about what could actually happen, and also how Trump has in some ways started to change his tune.
Right, notably, as far back as October, he made a subtle shift in his rhetoric, saying he could solve the war "very quickly” rather than in one day. []
And since the election, he’s just walked it back further, avoiding really giving any sort of timeline at all.
Though, notably, he said last week that a meeting is being set up between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This week, saying it again, and adding that the meeting will take place “very quickly” after his inauguration.
And then, Trump's incoming Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg?
He’s actually given a possible timeline, saying in an interview with Fox News last week that he would like to have a "solution" to the war within 100 days (BROLL: 3:36)
With Reuters also reporting today that other Trump are conceding that making a peace deal in Ukraine will take months or perhaps even longer.
Speaking to two “Trump associates” who reality-checked Trump’s promise to end the war on day one –
Reportedly describing his rhetoric as “a combination of campaign bluster and a lack of appreciation of the intractability of the conflict and the time it takes to staff up a new administration.” []
Though, notably, with all that, you have people like one former ambassador to Ukraine telling Reuters that even Kellogg's extended 100 deadline was "way, way too optimistic.” []
But either way, while the fact that Trump is unlikely to be able to keep his word on Ukraine isn’t surprising, this shift we’re seeing?
According to some, it may be a sign that while Trump might not be as staunch a Ukraine supporter as Biden, he might not abandon it completely.
In fact, you have Bloomberg reporting this week, for example, that Ukraine's European allies have become “cautiously optimistic” that Trump won’t force the country into premature negotiations with Russia.[]
Right, according to anonymous European officials speaking with the outlet, conversations with Trump officials have shown them to be receptive two main arguments:
One, that Trump would risk embarrassment comparable to Biden’s messy withdrawal from Afghanistan if he suddenly pulled support for Ukraine…
And two, that allowing Russia to win big would just embolden China to act more aggressively. []
Now with that, Trump is Trump.
We don’t know what he’s gonna do.
And with that, Russia still seems to be happy that Biden’s on the way out.
With the Russian foreign minister this week praising the incoming president for painting NATO’s plan to embrace Ukraine as a root cause of the war.
As well as welcoming recent comments made by incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz –
Including him saying that it’s unrealistic to expect that Ukraine could drive Russian forces “from every inch of Ukrainian soil.”[]
And then, with that, Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of state?
He made similar comments just today, saying Ukraine and Russia must both make concessions to end the war.
Right, so ultimately, the dynamics of this war definitely seem like they’re about to change.
But exactly how much and how quickly we’re gonna see the impact? For that, we’ll have to wait and see.
