{"id":862007,"date":"2026-06-12T10:45:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T10:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/862007\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T10:45:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T10:45:28","slug":"giant-inflatable-elon-musk-appears-in-times-square-one-day-before-spacex-ipo-with-a-scathing-message-for-its-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/862007\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant inflatable Elon Musk appears in Times Square one day before SpaceX IPO, with a scathing message for its CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">An inflatable Elon Musk appeared in Times Square, tattooed with accusations against SpaceX&#8217;s Grok.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">A smiling, shirtless effigy of Musk was put up in protest a day before SpaceX&#8217;s IPO.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">The group behind the inflatable said it was intended as a warning to potential SpaceX investors.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">New Yorkers woke up Thursday morning to a giant blow-up figure of the world&#8217;s richest person, one day before his already immense fortune is set to inflate thanks to the biggest IPO in history.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">The big bust of a shirtless and smiling Elon Musk appeared in Times Square overnight, adorned with harsh accusations about the SpaceX founder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">&#8220;SpaceX&#8217;s Grok makes AI child porn,&#8221; reads a giant tattoo plastered across the bust&#8217;s upper abs and back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">The message appeared to be a reference to accusations that Grok, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/xai-limits-grok-ai-image-tool-sexualized-deepfake-backlash-2026-1?utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=yahoocom\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Musk&#039;s xAI chatbot;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Musk&#039;&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Musk&#8217;s xAI chatbot<\/a> that was acquired by SpaceX earlier this year, produced sexual images of children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">In response to complaints, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/elon-musk-grok-bikini-response-sexualized-images-minors-remove-clothes-2026-1?utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=yahoocom\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Musk said;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Musk said&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Musk said<\/a> in January that &#8220;anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.&#8221; The official X page also said its policy has &#8220;zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/spacex-grok-ai-risk-factor-spicy-mode-nsfw-2026-5?utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=yahoocom\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Grok&#039;s not-safe-for-work;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Grok&#039;&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Grok&#8217;s not-safe-for-work<\/a> capabilities came up in SpaceX&#8217;s S-1 filing last month, ahead of the rocket company&#8217;s highly anticipated IPO, set for June 12. SpaceX warned potential investors that Grok&#8217;s NSFW mode could pose &#8220;heightened risks&#8221; and &#8220;reputational harm,&#8221; in part because it could generate &#8220;nonconsensual or exploitative imagery.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">The group behind the inflatable Musk is Safe AI Now (SAIN), which describes itself as a coalition of faith leaders, child-safety organizations, and other groups and individuals. SAIN told Business Insider the inflatable would be up until 7 p.m. ET on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>    <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e0ca9839931870c6249c5c4f382cb566.jpeg\" alt=\"An inflatable Elon Musk in Times Square\" loading=\"eager\" height=\"720\" width=\"960\" class=\"yf-lglytj  loaded\"\/> Roselle Chen\/Roselle Chen      <\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">&#8220;The goal of this effigy of Musk is to deliver a simple warning to investors: Musk built a dangerous and exploitative AI, covered up the damage, merged it with SpaceX, and is now selling the liability to the public at $135 a share,&#8221; SAIN said in a statement, adding, &#8220;SpaceX shareholders are on the hook for every Grok lawsuit, criminal investigation, and regulatory fine that is coming.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">&#8220;While this inflatable is a fitting metaphor \u2014 much like Musk and his companies, it is inflated, full of hot air, and could pop at any minute \u2014 it serves as a warning to investors eager to buy into Musk&#8217;s SpaceX IPO on Friday morning,&#8221; the statement continued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">Musk responded to an X thread about the inflatable and said, &#8220;This is so dumb, because what they&#8217;re claiming is totally false.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">The inflatable Musk also has a tattoo on its bicep featuring a heart and the word &#8220;ketamine.&#8221; Musk said in 2024 he takes a small amount <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/elon-musk-don-lemon-small-amount-ketamine-every-other-week-2024-3?utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=yahoocom\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:of ketamine;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;of ketamine&quot;}\" class=\"link \">of ketamine<\/a> &#8220;every other week&#8221; to help with mental states &#8220;like depression.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">The inflatable wasn&#8217;t the first time a massive Musk protest-bust appeared. Following cuts to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/photos-elon-musk-bust-arches-national-park-utah-doge-cuts-2025-7?utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=yahoocom\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:National Park Service;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;National Park Service&quot;}\" class=\"link \">National Park Service<\/a> led by DOGE, the White House office spearheaded by Musk, a large sculpture of the Tesla CEO was spotted on a trailer towed by a pickup truck in several national parks in the summer of 2025 as part of an anonymous protest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/spacex-ipo-spcx-stock-price-stocks-investing-elon-musk-nasdaq-2026-6?utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=yahoocom\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:SpaceX&#039;s IPO;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;SpaceX&#039;&quot;}\" class=\"link \">SpaceX&#8217;s IPO<\/a> this week is expected to be the largest ever. The company is expected to raise $75 billion, bringing its valuation to $1.75 trillion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\">If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow <a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.yahoo.com\/brands\/business-insider\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Business Insider;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Business Insider&quot;}\" class=\"link \" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Business Insider<\/a> on Yahoo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An inflatable Elon Musk appeared in Times Square, tattooed with accusations against SpaceX&#8217;s Grok. A smiling, shirtless effigy&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":862008,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,66,34949,119342,2527,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-862007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-elon-musk","tag-grok","tag-inflatable","tag-spacex","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116736737029138893","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862007"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862007\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/862008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}