A Twitter account that tracks the private jet movement of Elon Musk and other well-known business personalities continues to operate and has amassed over 370,000 followers. Here’s the latest development in the controversy surrounding @ElonJet.
What Happened: Jack Sweeney started a Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) account that tracks the movement of Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk.
Sweeney shared that his recent Freedom of Information Act request has been approved, which could help if any legal objections arise over his jet tracking.
“My FAA FOIA request went thru. Now I have all the registration and airworthiness documents for all the SpaceX jets,” Sweeney said Feb. 5. The tweet suggests he could track SpaceX jets in the future.
“My FOIA doesn’t mean I have their (FAA) approval. I requested that FOIA before my news went public, only just recently received the documents,” Sweeney tweeted in response to a Teslarati article.
Along with tracking Musk’s jet, Sweeney tracks private jets of Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates, Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:FB) co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and Mark Cuban.
Related Link: Here's The Latest Offer Being Made To The Teen Who Wants $50K To Stop Tracking Elon Musk's Jet
Why It’s Important: Sweeney shared the story of Musk offering him $5,000 to remove the ElonJet Twitter account. Sweeney asked for $50,000 and an internship with Tesla or SpaceX or a new Tesla Model 3 to shut down the account.
Musk has not responded to the counteroffer from Sweeney and blocked him on Twitter.
Sweeney told CNBC he didn’t go into the jet tracking business to make money.
“Just a hobby, an interest to see where he (Musk) was going,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney noted that he does not offer a subscription and has made some money from donations and some advertisements. No other celebrities have reached out to have the tracking removed, he added.
Sweeney told CNBC he hears Musk’s complaint on security concerns. Ultimately, he stands by what he's doing and plans to continue.
“I don’t really feel like there's that great of a risk. It is public data,” the 19-year-old said.
Photo: Courtesy of Shadman Samee on Flickr
