Fact Check: Is Elon Musk buying YouTube? Viral video debunked

Rumors about Tesla CEO Elon Musk buying YouTube have been spreading rapidly, fueled by a video from the YouTube channel Voyager, which claimed Musk had officially announced the purchase.

The clickbaity video confused netizens since its caption read:

"Elon Musk: 'Im officially buying YouTube.'"

A number of netizens had expressed their confusion and even asked Musk through tweets if he had any such plans. A user wrote on X,

"Your Buying youtube? GO AHEAD!"

"Is Elon Musk truly buying YouTube? Oh man, this might be good for me," wrote another netizen.

"Goodnight @X Oh @elonmusk I just want to say if you’re really buying @YouTube , will you change it or keep the name? X views, XTube , XStream," asked another user.

The rumors are untrue, as such a major purchase would have been widely reported by prominent publications.

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Elon Musk is not going to buy YouTube

As mentioned, the claims about Musk buying the platform, have been debunked. Meanwhile, it would be worth noting that this wasn't the first time such a rumor spread. Last year, he was speculated to buy Google. A now-removed video titled "Elon Musk: 'I Officially Bought Google,'" was uploaded from a YouTube channel named Elon Musk Fan Zone.

The information, however, turned out to be fabricated. According to comingsoon.net, the channel was known for coming up with videos and content to exaggerate and make allegedly false claims about Musk's ventures.

The 2023 video even included a number of doctored images including one where the Tesla CEO could be seen shaking hands with Sundar Pichai. The creators of the YouTube channel and the video ended up misleading the masses through the video. The 2023 video wasn't confirmed by the official authorities, and the same happened with the latest ones as well.

The current rumor got more momentum after several tweets were made claiming that he had already bought YouTube. For instance, in one tweet the user claimed that Musk had spent about $44 billion to "revive free speech worldwide."

The video that got viral last year had a description that mentioned that that the channel was actually a "fan channel" and not Musk's official handle. It was also mentioned that the audience should not be taking the content seriously, as they were not meant to be serious in the first place.

These rumors are just a few of many that Musk has been caught up in recently, leading to widespread misinformation and confusion. As of now, it could be concluded that Musk wasn't going to buy YouTube.