Hajra Naz
Elon Musk recently made a bold claim about his tunneling startup, The Boring Company. He said the company is working on “a simple precursor Hyperloop.” This project would connect Austin and San Antonio. According to Musk, it would reduce the journey between the two cities to less than 30 minutes.
The Boring Company account shared Musk’s statement publicly. The company said it “would be excited and honored to build this massive infrastructure project.”
It’s worth noting some history here. Many of The Boring Company’s previously announced projects haven’t materialized. That includes proposed tunnel systems in Chicago. It also includes systems planned for Los Angeles.
A tunnel connecting New York City and Washington, D.C. hasn’t materialized either. However, the company does operate one working system currently. That’s a transportation system in Las Vegas, combining tunnels with surface routes. The company also recently raised significant funding. It secured a $3 billion round, led by the United Arab Emirates.
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Interestingly, Musk’s comments about a potential Austin-San Antonio Hyperloop came from an unusual source. He was actually replying to an AI-generated video. That video depicted a generic science fiction future. It featured human colonies existing on other worlds. Musk re-posted this video and declared, “This is the future we shall bring into being.”
Musk’s critics have raised concerns about his broader vision for the future. They argue it appears inspired by pulp science fiction and comic books. Historian Jill Lepore recently addressed this pattern directly. She said Musk seems to favor science fiction that “completely defeats and defies all of his political beliefs.”
