Musk Delivers 1,000 “Not a Flamethrower” Units: 20,000 Sold at $500 Each

Mish Talk – by Mike Mish Shedlock

Musk just delivered the first 1,000 of his “Not a Flamethrower” devices. It’s a $500 toy with no practical use.

It turns out, Elon Musk’s flamethrower idea was not a joke as Musk’s Boring Co. delivers first 1,000 flamethrowers to customers.

Six months after Elon Musk raised the eyebrows of sane people everywhere by announcing his Boring Co. would sell flamethrowers for $500 a pop, the first 1,000 deliveries were made Saturday for customers who showed up at the company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif.

The flamethrowers went like, well, flaming hotcakes when they went on sale in late January, selling out in just four days. In all, 20,000 were sold, raising about $10 million in revenue for Musk’s tunnel-boring startup. The devices, technically called “Not a Flamethrower” to skirt federal shipping regulations, shoot a two-foot flame.

Despite concerns about the wisdom of allowing personal flamethrowers in wildfire-prone California, state legislators last month shelved legislation that would have required them to come with a safety warning.

Green Eggs and Ham

Terms & conditions for “Not-a-Flamethrower”

Please use as directed to avoid unintentionally burning things down. For simple & concise instructions, we drew upon wisdom in great Dr Seuss book “Green Eggs and Ham”. #ThrowFlamesResponsibly pic.twitter.com/kgj8W8EOLJ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2018

I will not use this in a house

I will not point this at my spouse

If only Musk could deliver a car with autopilot and brakes that worked.

Publicity Stunt

Let’s recognize this adventure for what it really is: A publicity stunt. It’s also a waste of time and energy given numerous real problems at Tesla.

Mike “Mish” Shedlock

Mish Talk