Is this a coincidence or just good planning?
Once again Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, has given cannabis fans a new reason to celebrate April 20, aka 420.
The whimsical billionaire and SpaceX, his rocket and satellite company, plan to make the first orbital flight of Starship, the rocket with which Musk wants to conquer Mars, on that day.
"SpaceX is targeting as soon as Thursday, April 20 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas," the company announced on Apr. 17, after it had to postpone the event due that day. "The 62 minute launch window opens at 8:28 a.m. CT and closes at 9:30 a.m. CT."
'Fate'
Musk goes so far as to suggest that the fact that SpaceX has to make this crucial flight on April 20 is fate.
"Perhaps inevitable," the billionaire said, after SpaceX made the announcement.
When a Twitter user suggested that the tech mogul wanted to mark April 20 with an important event, Musk responded with one word: "fate."
"I think this is what @elonmusk wants," the user said.
"Fate," Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla (TSLA), commented.
On Monday, Elon Musk and SpaceX, his rocket and satellite company, had to postpone the launch of the first orbital test flight of Starship, a next-generation and the world's most powerful rocket.
The orbital launch of Starship is supposed to represent a leap forward by offering a machine capable of reaching the moon, then Mars, while carrying tons of cargo. SpaceX intends to mount Starlink satellite terminals on the Super Heavy booster and orbital Starship for this first test flight, and to use these terminals to communicate with SpaceX’s satellite constellation.
The 420 Is Found in Several Musk Deals
Besides the Starship’s orbital flight, 420 pops up elsewhere too.
Musk plans to remove the Blue Badge from anyone who received it for free from Twitter 1.0 and refuses to subscribe to Blue, the Twitter 2.0 subscription service. He has been the owner of Twitter since last October, after paying $44 billion.
The checkmark, which guarantees that the authors of the account are who they say they are, is not free anymore, because Musk integrated it into Blue, which costs $7.99 per month for individuals and $1,000 per month for organizations. Many personalities and influencers have made it known that they will not pay.
"Final date for removing legacy Blue checks is 4/20," Musk warned on Apr. 11.
By scheduling two important events for two of his companies on Apr. 20, Musk sends a message of support to stoners. Marijuana is being legalized in different states across the country, after decades of being banned.
This isn't the first time the world's most influential CEO used references to cannabis. Last February, he tweeted 420 to the delight of weed's fans across the world. The three numbers are a rallying code for marijuana enthusiasts. April 20 or 4/20 is indeed known to be "Weed Day" or practically a holiday for pot lovers. Smoking weed on April 20, preferably at 4:20 a.m.or p.m., has become something of a custom for cannabis lovers.
It turns out that the tradition began in 1971 with a group of teenagers known as the Waldos, who grew up in Marin County, Calif., according to several reports. They were called the Waldos because they liked to hang out leaning against a wall and smoke pot at 4:20 p.m. each day. This "wall" was not far from San Rafael High School.
Since then, the famous number 420 has been used for various reasons, even in movies. A number of clocks in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" film were set to 4:20.
In 2003, California governor Grey Davis signed into law SB 420, the “medical marijuana task force” bill introduced by state senator John Vasconcellos. The bill regulated the use of marijuana.
Musk, who lived in California until 2021, has smoked cannabis in public. He smoked a joint live in September 2018 during a podcast with controversial celebrity podcaster Joe Rogan.
Last year, the tycoon used 420 in the financial terms for his offer to buy Twitter: he offered $54.20 per Twitter share to the platform's shareholders.
