Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke November 8, 2024

No, Elon Musk didn’t say he’s ‘officially buying McDonald’s’

Read in Español

If Your Time is short

  • This claim is unfounded.

Billionaire Elon Musk owns X and also serves as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Now, a recent Facebook post claims he’s about to "dip his toes into fast food" by buying up the golden arches. 

"Musk has officially announced: ‘I am officially buying McDonald’s,’" a narrator says in a video shared in an Oct. 30 Facebook post.

The video’s caption says: "Elon Musk: ‘I am officially buying McDonald’s." 

But the video itself offers no evidence to support the claim. 

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

Featured Fact-check

The video discusses McDonald’s as a company and muses about why Musk would be interested in acquiring it. But as far as we can tell, he’s not. 

We looked for but found no credible evidence, such as news reports, public statements or press releases, to corroborate the claim in this post. 

Back in 2022, Musk posted on what was then Twitter that if McDonald’s accepted the digital cryptocurrency Dogecoin, Msuk would "eat a Happy Meal on TV."

McDonald’s responded with a purple coin bearing the face of one of its characters, Grimace, and said: "Only if @tesla accepts grimacecoin."

We rate claims Musk said he’s buying McDonald’s False.

 

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Ciara O'Rourke

No, Elon Musk didn’t say he’s ‘officially buying McDonald’s’

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up