ORLANDO, Fla. – Years after Elon Musk reportedly provided Jack Sweeney $5,000 to cease monitoring his non-public jet on social media, the Florida school pupil now has a proposition of his personal.Â
May Sweeney, the College of Central Florida pupil who’s made quite a few headlines in recent times for monitoring Taylor Swift and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ non-public jets and posting their flight knowledge on X, be seeking to get out of Musk’s hair?
The provide launched when UCF head soccer coach Gus Malzahn went on a visit to Chicago final week and posted a photograph on X with Sweeney.Â
“Hey @elonmusk. I discovered the man who’s been monitoring your aircraft,” Malzahn shared alongside a selfie of him and Sweeney. “Good to satisfy @Jxck_Sweeney up in Chicago!”Â
Sweeney then shared the put up on his personal account, including: “Hey @elonmusk sponsor UCF’s stadium and think about @ElonJet gone.”
People within the replies have been seemingly thrilled that the concept of “SpaceX Stadium” is kind of on the desk. It is one thing that UCF followers have been pushing for in recent times, forward of – and even after – the college inked a 10-year cope with FBC Mortgage for the stadium naming rights for almost $20 million in 2022. Earlier than FBC Mortgage Stadium was a factor, UCF’s on-campus soccer stadium glided by its nickname, the “Bounce Home,” for about two seasons after the Spectrum Stadium naming rights deal resulted in 2020.Â
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Whereas it stays unclear right now how critical Sweeney’s provide is, followers are devoted to the chance.Â
“Do it @elon musk,” one consumer wrote.Â
“Should you make this occur, you may be a king of Orlando!!” stated one other.Â
“One thing tells me Elon would not take bribes haha. However this might be a poetic match,” one other consumer wrote.Â
FOX 35 has contacted UCF Athletics for remark. There was no phrase again but. Musk, who frequently replies to posts on X, has not but publicly commented on Sweeney’s provide.Â
We spoke with Sweeney on Monday afternoon, who stated he’ll observe by way of along with his deal if Musk does, too.Â
“I’ve at all times had a variety of love for UCF, and UCF positive has a variety of growth for house college students, and a variety of their college students go to the Area Middle, however you recognize, I used to be like, I noticed that Gus shared the image after I met him, and I used to be like, ‘You recognize, I feel it could be a cool thought,’” Sweeney stated.
So if Musk accepted, would Sweeney be true to his phrase?
“Clearly, if it occurs, I might must do it,” Sweeney instructed us, including that he would not assume it’s going to occur, however it could be fairly cool if it did.Â
So far as a possible identify for UCF’s stadium goes, Sweeney favors “Starlink Stadium,” he stated.Â
PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 16: Chief Government Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and proprietor of Twitter, Elon Musk attends the Viva Expertise convention devoted to innovation and startups on the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre on June 16, 2023 in Paris, F
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@ElonJet was suspended on Twitter again in 2022 as a result of he was reportedly violating the social media platform’s guidelines. As a loophole, Sweeney created a second account that as an alternative posts Musk’s jet’s publicly obtainable flight knowledge 24 hours after touring. The account had over 500,000 followers on the time it was suspended.Â
Sweeney began the account in 2020, when he was only a teen. It routinely posted the Gulfstream flight with a map and estimated how a lot jet gasoline and carbon emissions it expended. He is additionally created comparable accounts for Jeff Bezos, Invoice Gates, and Russian oligarchs.Â
“(Musk) stated that is free speech, and he’s doing the alternative,” Sweeney stated in an interview with The Related Press.Â
The suspension marked the top of a years-long battle with the SpaceX CEO, who, at one level, reportedly provided the school pupil $5,000 to take the account down, citing safety considerations.Â
“He reaches out to me, and he requested ‘Can you’re taking this down?’ Then he was like, he doesn’t like the entire system, calling it primitive and every little thing, then he gives me $5,000 to take it down,” Sweeney instructed FOX 35 on the time.Â
Sweeney turned the provide down, and even requested Musk to up the provide to $50,000, plus an internship. No cube.Â
“I’d put in a lot work and time, and it’s one thing I take pleasure in doing, and 5K doesn’t look like so much for a way a lot I get out of it, and I take pleasure in doing it,” Sweeney stated.Â
This is not the one battle with a well-known face that Sweeney’s been part of.Â
Between December 2023 and February 2024, Sweeney and Taylor Swift received into it concerning an X account that tracks the “Merciless Summer time” singer’s flight knowledge. Swift’s authorized workforce despatched Sweeney a stop and desist letter.
Taylor Swift course being provided at UCF
In a press release on the time to FOX 35, Sweeney stated Swift’s attorneys ordered him to cease his “stalking and harassing habits.” In a clap again to the Grammy-winning artist, Sweeney stated it is public info that is of the general public curiosity.Â
“Her followers, who’ve grown the TaylorSwiftJets accounts and subreddit, are those actually . These monitoring accounts constantly have extra supporters and followers,” Sweeney stated. “When the Embassy of Japan within the USA expresses confidence that Swift could make a flight from Tokyo to the Tremendous Bowl, it signifies public curiosity.
“Due to this fact, one ought to moderately anticipate that their jet can be tracked, whether or not or not I’m the one doing it, as it’s public info in any case.”
Because the unhealthy blood brewed between the 2, Musk additionally weighed in on the alternate. Â
“Sweeney is an terrible human being. Taylor Swift is true to be involved,” Musk stated on X in February.Â
“Let’s bear in mind you provided me 5k to cease. Additionally threatened to sue me, and right here we’re a 12 months later,” Sweeney replied.Â
On the finish of the day, Sweeney stated he isn’t making an attempt to trigger hurt, however he believes within the “significance of transparency and public info.”Â