During the unveiling of Tesla’s new Cybertruck on Thursday, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk demonstrated the toughness and durability of the stainless steel alloy body of the truck by hitting it with a sledgehammer.
The body showed no signs of damage, but later, one of the truck’s supposedly bulletproof side windows shattered when Tesla’s chief designer Franz von Holzhausen hurled a metal ball at it.
Thinking that the damage might have been due to hurling the metal ball with excessive force, von Holzhausen threw the ball again, this time with less force, but the rear side window shattered.
The awkward moment occurred shortly after Musk bragged that the glass “is literally bulletproof to a 9mm handgun.”
Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Cybertruck with "bulletproof" glass windows, then accidentally broke them…twice: https://t.co/rdOPBM304Ppic.twitter.com/W2ZOTgY2eU
— Complex (@Complex) November 22, 2019
Many people thought at first that the failed demonstration was only a practical joke to draw even more media attention and possibly make images of the Cybertruck go viral on social media.
However, TMZ reported that Elon Musk had not expected the glass to shatter and that he was very upset about it.
Elon Musk just unveiled Tesla's #Cybertruck — here are the highlights from the reveal event pic.twitter.com/jaEXfNFh6c
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) November 22, 2019
Many people took to Twitter to inquire why Musk and his staff did not test the windows with a steel ball before the public demonstration.
We threw same steel ball at same window several times right before event & didn’t even scratch the glass!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2019
Musk tweeted in response that Franz had thrown a steel ball at the window several times before the demonstration and it did not shatter.
Franz throws steel ball at Cybertruck window right before launch. Guess we have some improvements to make before production haha. pic.twitter.com/eB0o4tlPoz
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 23, 2019
Musk’s net worth plunged by 6 percent after the demonstration
The Guardian reported that following the incident, Tesla’s share price plunged by about six percent in one day. The drop in share price was equivalent to a drop in Musk’s net worth by $765 million, Forbes reported.
Although some claimed that the failed demonstration caused Tesla’s share price to drop, some analysts weren’t sure that the drop was entirely due to the botched demonstration.
What is Elon Musk’s net worth in 2019?
According to Forbes, Elon Musk’s net worth after Tesla’s share price went down by $768 million was $23.6 billion. This means that he was previously worth about $24.4 billion. However, Tesla shares could still recover from a six percent drop in value.
Musk is the 41st richest person in the world, according to Forbes.