"He can’t because of his NDAs" — Internet reacts to Andrew Tate asking Elon Musk to "explain the drones" popping up in New Jersey

Former kickboxer turned podcaster Andrew Tate called for Tesla CEO Elon Musk to explain the myriad drone sightings reported by people in New Jersey and New York since mid-November.

Residents in both states have reported sighting several drones in their neighborhoods, even as the White House reassured citizens that the machines were not a national threat via a statement on December 12, 2024.

On December 15, Andrew Tate addressed Elon Musk on X, asking him to "explain the drones" as someone who has direct contact with the "most important people in the world."

"Hello @elonmusk. You have Space X and speak to the most important people in the world. Please explain the drones. Thanks, The World," Tate posted.

Tate's tweet directed at Elon Musk was met with mixed responses from netizens. Some alleged that Elon Musk knew about the drones but could not talk about them because he signed an NDA.

"He can’t because of his NDAs," one person commented.

Some netizens claimed it was odd that Elon Musk had not commented about the drones on his social media, while others wondered if the increased sightings were to distract the public from something else.

"What’s wild is this dude has something to say about everything yet hasn’t mentioned this situation everyone is talking about other than saying a small comment about it," one person tweeted.

"My exact thoughts. If there’s anything flying around then @elonmusk will definitely know something about it," another person wrote.

"What are the drones distracting us from?" another person questioned.

"Definitely a distraction from something..A New Jersey resident would like to know," one netizen tweeted.

Several hypothesized what the drones were for, coming up with theories about who was behind the machines.

"Nuclear detection drones. There's word that a nuclear submarine was lost off the coast and now they are searching for potential bombs or to locate the submarine. Without causing mass Hysteria," one person commented.

"They are ours They are tracing signs of radioactive materials. One nuke that was in Europe is missing and the last Intel says it was coming to the USA. They don’t know where it is, but they are looking for it," another person speculated.

"A ceo of a major drone manufacturing company thinks they’re trying to find nuclear material snuck into the US," one netizen wrote.

"It’s a worldwide phenomenon. They’re appearing in most every country along with glowing orbs. All these plausible explanations don’t make sense given it’s everywhere now," another user added.

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What did Elon Musk say about the drones?

While Elon Musk has yet to reply to Andrew Tate's tweet at the time of this article, the SpaceX founder mentioned the drones in a recent tweet. In a bid to promote Grok, X's generative AI chatbot, Elon Musk tweeted on December 16 :

"Grok can even explain drones over New Jersey!"

Elon Musk also reshared a meme about residents in New Jersey identifying every flying vessel as a drone.

Meanwhile, authorities in New York and New Jersey are looking into tracking the drones and identifying their path of origin. According to a CBS News report on December 14, Sheriff Michael Mastronardy, an Ocean County sheriff, attempted to track a swarm of 50 drones but his efforts were futile as the machines "easily" evaded his techniques.

On December 12, the sheriff's office deployed an "industrial grade" drone to follow one of the unidentified drones. He reported that the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) did not emit any heat signal, unlike standard models.

Meanwhile, New York officials have reached out to President Joe Biden to investigate the drones. According to the Rockland County website, its executive Ed Day & Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco said in a press release on December 13:

“We understand that these drone sightings may be unsettling and are taking these reports seriously. In addition to notifying federal authorities, I am sending a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to have the Federal Aviation administration (FAA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigate and provide answers as to who is behind these drone sightings.”

It is unclear who is behind the drones, which began in mid-November. Spokespersons from the Pentagon and the White House have claimed the drones did not pose a threat to the country's national security, adding the machines were not coming from a "foreign entity or adversary."