Ground Control is a company created by an adolescent who rejected down $5,000 from Elon Musk to quit following his private plane. Jack Sweeney, a student at the University of Central Florida, has been tracking Musk’s private jet’s takeoffs and landings with a Twitter bot since 2020.
The bot uses publicly available data to monitor Musk’s plane, but the tech mogul isn’t amused. According to Protocol, Musk offered Sweeney $5,000 to shut down the Twitter account. On the other hand, Sweeney rejected, claiming that $5,000 was insufficient compensation for the enjoyment he gained from his efforts. Moreover, Sweeney claimed he opposed Musk’s offer with $50,000 or an internship in exchange for shutting down the account.
Musk declined the offer and finally ceased communicating with Sweeney, who has kept the Twitter account active. Sweeney claimed he chose to go public because Musk lost interest in a transaction, according to Insider. Sweeney is now seeking to convert his pastime into a company by following other famous millionaires.
You can currently purchase T-shirts, stickers, and hoodies portraying Musk and an airplane on the Ground Control website. “Probably simply that I’ll be tracking more flights,” Sweeney told CMT when asked what people should know about his new business.
Sweeney also designed bots that monitor billionaires Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos’ private planes.
Tesla, Musk’s firm, did not reply to a request for comment right away. Elon Musk’s Twitter handle for private jets is developing into a business.