Did Warren Buffett just drop a trillion dollars on Tesla?
Nope. But the internet thought he did.
Today, April 1st, a satirical article claimed that Buffett bought Tesla for $1 trillion in cash. Yep — one trillion. With a T. People online freaked out. It didn’t take long before screenshots spread like wildfire. Some folks actually believed it.
But here’s the thing. It was a joke. An April Fools’ joke. And not a very subtle one either.
The fake report had Buffett talking about driving a Cybertruck through Nebraska and stashing cash in shoeboxes. Sounds fake? It was. Still, that didn’t stop people from buying into the headline. Some even started wondering if maybe, just maybe, there was truth buried in there somewhere.
But there wasn’t.
Why did people believe it?
Let’s be honest — Buffett and Tesla in the same sentence is a weird mix. One’s known for old-school value investing. The other’s known for rockets, robots, and chaos. So why did this rumor even get legs?
Well, there’s history.
Back in November 2020, around 50 million Tesla shares were quietly traded. No one knew who bought them. That move — worth around $11 billion — sent the rumor mill spinning. Some thought it might’ve been Berkshire Hathaway pulling off a secret deal.
And it wasn’t just a quiet day. Tesla stock jumped 8% in just 48 hours. That’s $80 billion in market value — gone to the moon.
At the time, there were guesses. Maybe the SEC gave Buffett special permission to hide the trade? Maybe he saw something others didn’t? But in the end, there was never proof. Just a lot of “what ifs.”
So… have Buffett and Musk ever actually talked?
Yeah. They’ve had conversations. In March 2025, Buffett said in a CBS interview that he’s “talked to Elon a few times.” When pressed about Musk’s government role under Trump — co-leading something called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — Buffett backed off.
“I better not get into all that,” he said. That’s classic Buffett. Quiet, careful, avoiding drama.
He used to be more political. Held fundraisers. Backed Obama. But not anymore. In 2022, he told shareholders he stepped back to protect his business from politics. Musk? The opposite. He’s front and center, tweeting policy ideas, shaking hands with politicians, and talking Mars in the same sentence as government contracts.
Why Buffett and Tesla don’t mix
The two billionaires are pretty much opposites.
Buffett likes slow and steady. Predictable profits. Solid cash flow. Musk? He’s launching spaceships, digging tunnels, and pushing robotaxis.
Buffett avoids politics now. Musk charges straight into it. Buffett keeps a low profile. Musk is in the news even when he sneezes. They’ve said respectful things about each other over the years, but let’s not pretend they’re business soulmates.
Musk once said Buffett’s “kindly grandfather” image is a bit much. Buffett called Musk “brilliant” and said he’s trying to solve the impossible. That’s about as friendly as it gets.
Where’s Tesla now?
As of now, Tesla’s stock sits at $268.46 — up 3.59%. Market cap? $863.5 billion. That’s big, but still way off its 52-week high of $488.54.
The company’s earnings report is coming up on April 23, and investors are watching closely. Tesla’s price-to-earnings ratio is a hefty 130.96. That’s not cheap — it shows people are still betting on big growth, not just car sales.
And no, Buffett is not on the list of known investors.
The takeaway
Buffett did not buy Tesla. The trillion-dollar buyout story? Just a prank. But it fooled more people than it should have. Why?
Because investors want to believe in big moves. In surprises. In smart money making unexpected plays.
But smart money doesn’t move like that — not without leaving a trail. And Buffett? He’s not the type to suddenly shift from Coke and Apple to Cybertrucks and space dreams.
So next time you hear a wild headline, especially around April 1st, pause. Look deeper. Ask questions.
Because Buffett might surprise us one day — but not like that.
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