Mysterious anti-Elon Musk vending machine stuns SXSW 2026 attendees
A mysterious vending machine appeared at SXSW 2026 in Austin, Texas, this week. Covered in anti-Elon Musk slogans, it dispenses DVDs titled Elon's Epstein Files—and no one is claiming responsibility for its installation.
The festival, running from March 12 to 18, became the backdrop for the unusual installation. Two unidentified men set up the machine but refused to reveal their names or who funded the project. They did, however, link themselves to the Epstein Walk of Shame art display earlier in the week.
The DVDs inside the machine include a QR code directing users to Jmail, a website hosting searchable archives of Jeffrey Epstein's emails. Festival attendees quickly began taking the discs after spotting the machine. Organisers have not commented on its removal, and the installation is expected to stay in place until Wednesday. The stunt follows recent controversies involving Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, which was accused of generating explicit images of minors—including 23,000 such images over an 11-day period.
The vending machine's origin remains unknown, and its creators have stayed silent beyond their brief statements. With SXSW continuing through the week, the DVDs—and the questions they raise—will likely keep drawing attention. The machine's fate after Wednesday is still unclear.
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