“Not funny” — Tesla shareholders, probably.

Elon Musk: Entrepreneur. Innovator. Humanitarian. Contender for the worst April Fool’s joke of all time.

It all started, as many of Musk’s antics tend to, with a series of tweets:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/980566101124722688

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/980566116614291456

Good one, Elon. Except that maybe… this Tweet was a bit too prescient.

The next day, Tesla’s stock fell 7 percent, dropping to $248 per share. That’s a 36 percent decrease from the company’s peak value of $389, which it hit last summer.

Whether the drop was a reaction to Musk’s April Fools’ prank or simply the market doing its thing, no one can say. But if comedy is all about timing, Musk’s was too soon.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/980880706627715072

You gotta admit, it’s a bold thing to say, especially for a man who heads a company that has:

• More than $10 billion in debt
• Just wrapped its worst month on the stock market in seven years
• Recalled a massive number of vehicles just three days prior
• Missed yet another production milestone
• Faced scrutiny for the recent death of a driver of a vehicle in autonomous mode

And, oh:

• Narrowly avoided bankruptcy in the past

Maybe next year Elon should pick something else to joke about on April Fools’ Day.

Originally published: Futurism