Egypt Refutes Elon Musk’s Claim That Aliens Built the Pyramids

Elon Musk may think aliens built the Great Pyramids; usually, here’s the point where we might say something about 2020 being the most bizarre year on record, but since you already know that — let’s just hop right into it. Over the weekend, the serial entrepreneur tweeted a five-word tweet, saying “Aliens built the pyramids obv,” before walking away and allowing Twitter to run amok with his infinite wisdom.

It was but a matter of hours before Egyptian minster of international cooperation Rania A. Al Mashat invited the SpaceX and Tesla boss over to the country to explore the pyramids himself and the rich history involved with the ancient structures to show him how the pyramids, in fact, weren’t built by aliens.

“I follow your work with a lot of admiration,” Al Mashat tweeted. “I invite you and SpaceX to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. Mr. Musk, we are waiting for you.”

Though Musk has yet to respond to the offer, he did manage to follow up his initial tweet with a series of rapid-fire responses, comment that “The Great Pyramid was the tallest structure made by humans for 3800 years. Three thousand, eight hundred years.”

The BBC piece — published in 2011 — details how it’s a common thought the Great Pyramid was built by a slave labor force of about 4,000 quarry workers, haulers, and masons. Those 4,000 slaves were then supported by upwards of 20,000 additional workers that helped to build ramps, mix mortar, and the like.