What happens when a billionaire’s online persona becomes a playground for conspiracy theories? Jacqueline Sweet, a journalist, found herself at the center of such a drama, and things got messy fast. Here’s the story in a nutshell.
The Mystery of Adrian Dittmann
Sweet recently penned an article for The Spectator, a UK magazine, uncovering the truth about an X account that had people buzzing. The account, belonging to a man named Adrian Dittmann, sparked wild speculation that it was a secret alias for none other than Elon Musk. Why? Well, Dittmann, who appears to live in Fiji, not only sounds uncannily like Musk but has also interacted with the tech mogul during X “Spaces” chats. Their eerily similar voices fueled rumors, and the internet couldn’t stop asking: Is Adrian Dittmann actually Elon Musk?
Setting the Record Straight
Sweet teamed up with Swiss hacker and developer maia arson crimew and journalist Ryan Fae to investigate. Their findings? Adrian Dittmann is just… Adrian Dittmann—a regular guy from Fiji who’s a big Musk fan. But Sweet’s efforts to squash the rumors didn’t sit well with everyone.
After posting her findings on X, Musk himself chimed in with a tongue-in-cheek reply:
“I am Adrian Dittmann. It’s time the world knew.”
What happened next was unexpected: Sweet’s X account was suspended. Soon after, links to her article and similar reports from her collaborators were blocked on the platform.
X Strikes Back
When users tried sharing the article, they encountered error messages like:
“Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.”
Even direct messages with the links were blocked, citing concerns about spam or automation. Sweet, however, saw a deeper issue, writing on Bluesky that Musk might’ve been upset about her “ruining his game.”
The Suspension Drama
X informed Sweet that her account was suspended for violating rules about “Posting Private Information.” This kind of behavior, often referred to as “doxing,” involves sharing someone’s private details without their consent. Sweet, however, firmly denied any wrongdoing, stating that no sensitive or private information about Dittmann was included in her article.
The Spectator’s US managing editor, Matt McDonald, backed her up, explaining that the story pieced together public information to debunk a widely circulated conspiracy theory. “It’s not about who Adrian Dittmann is but about who he isn’t,” McDonald wrote, calling it a matter of public interest.
The Bigger Picture
This bizarre series of events has left people scratching their heads. Was it all a misunderstanding? A technical glitch? Or something more? X remains tight-lipped, while Dittmann himself has posted online, confirming he is not Musk.
This saga raises questions about online accountability, freedom of speech, and the responsibilities of powerful platforms.