Elon Musk and Godfather of AI get into bizarre farting dispute over flying Tesla tech

Elon Musk's "flying" Tesla Roadster has won over many on the internet. But some, like AI godfather Yann LeCun remain unconvinced. This has led to a rather peculiar farting dispute between Musk and LeCun.

If you have scrolled through social media in the past few days, you likely have seen Elon Musk's "flying" Tesla Roadster. Unveiled at SpaceX's test facility in Texas, the new Roadster won over the internet after it, in a sense, flew over other Tesla vehicles. It seemed to some that the dream of "flying cars" was finally here. But not for everyone. In particular, AI godfather Yann LeCun has found himself amid a bizarre farting dispute with Musk, with the latter saying, "I fart in your general direction."

This strange debate began after Elon Musk shared a video of the Roadster supposedly flying over Tesla vehicles. "Turns out the future does have flying cars," the Tesla CEO wrote.

Responding to the clip, Yann LeCun asked if Tesla was using hydrogen peroxide, a liquid used in some rockets to power thrusters. Later, after LeCun found out that Tesla was using compressed air for the Roadster's thrusters, he expressed his doubts. The AI godfather claimed that Tesla would need to have a lot of compressed air just to power the Roadster for a few seconds in the air. "So the car must be an empty, lightweight shell containing big compressed air tanks," he wrote.

Yann LeCun then took a dig at Elon Musk, claiming that the Tesla chief was aware about the shortcomings of the Roadster's systems. "Cute demo, but totally impractical," LeCun added. "But of course, you knew that."

I fart in your direction, says Elon Musk

Musk, who does not shy away from using humour in his arguments, gave an amusing response. "I fart in your general direction," he replied.

It seems that Yann LeCun did not want Elon Musk to get away from the argument. The AI godfather decided to use Musk's fart comment to mock the Tesla Roadster again. "From a high-pressure belly, your fart might propel you upward and forward," LeCun said. In fact, LeCun joked that the Roadster's thruster system wasn't that different. He added, "Come to think of it, that's exactly how your car is powered: A 700 bar, 600 liter, 3 second, noisy fart. [Hopefully without the methane and the smelly compounds]."

Does the Tesla Roadster actually fly?

While debates on the internet are bound to happen, particularly when it's anything related to Elon Musk, you may be wondering if the Tesla Roadster actually flies. The answer is yes, and no.

The Tesla Roadster comes in three trims - Performance, Thrust, and Rocket. As the name suggests, the Rocket variant is the one that can fly. Tesla says this model comes with thrusters from SpaceX, placed around the perimeter of the car for upward and rotational movement. The Roadster in the flying demo used two carbon overlay pressure vessels with a 600-liter capacity that held a total of 250 kilos of air. To make space for the tank, the Rocket Roadster removes the passenger seat.

According to Tesla, thrusters use the compressed gas stored inside the car to generate force which ultimately lifts the car. In a sense, the Tesla Roadster can fly for a few seconds based on how much compressed gas is stored. However, it cannot fly for longer durations, at least in its current state. Keep in mind that the Roadster's Rocket variant is available only via invites. And Tesla has not given the price for this model. The Roadster Performance is priced at Rs 50.06 lakh in India, while the Thrust model costs roughly Rs 2.5 crore. Tesla says deliveries for the Roadster begin in 2028.