Pedestrians in several Peninsula cities were met with unexpected audio over the weekend, as hacked crosswalk signals played satirical messages impersonating tech moguls Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
Videos posted on social media Saturday show altered crosswalk recordings that triggered when pedestrians pressed the button at intersections. The prank targeted crosswalks in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Redwood City, raising eyebrows and prompting investigations by city officials.
In one clip, a voice claiming to be Elon Musk says, “Hi, this is Elon Musk. Welcome to Palo Alto, the home of Tesla engineering. You know, they say money can’t buy happiness. And, yeah, OK, I guess that’s true; God knows I’ve tried. But it can buy a Cybertruck, and that’s pretty sick, right?”
Another video recorded at the intersection of El Camino Real and Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park features a voice imitating Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “Hi this is Mark Zuckerberg, but real ones call me the Zuck,” it says. “You know, it’s normal to feel uncomfortable or even violated as we forcibly insert AI into every facet of your conscious experience. And I just want to assure you — you don’t need to worry because there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. Anyway, see ya.”
NBC 7 was the first to report the hack. Redwood City officials confirmed a similar incident occurred there as well. Deputy City Manager Jennifer Yamaguma said city staff are actively investigating the unauthorized recordings and working to restore normal crosswalk functions.
The origin of the prank remains unclear, but the messages have quickly gone viral, sparking both amusement and concern over vulnerabilities in public infrastructure.