taking to twitter on march 15th, elon musk shared a video clip and song that he said he would sell as an NFT, the non-fungible token that registers ownership of a digital object on a blockchain. set to a pounding techno beat with pulsing synths, the clip depicts a golden ‘vanity trophy’ that endlessly spins in digital space. praise hands and diamond emojis line the sparkling object, which is wrapped in the words ‘computers never sleep’ and ‘HODL’ — slang in the cryptocurrency community for holding a cryptocurrency rather than selling it. the trophy is crowned by a planet and illuminated billboard that reads ‘NFT’. atop the music, a robotic voice repeats the lyrics ‘NFT for your vanity — computers never sleep — it’s verified — it’s guaranteed.’

 

a day after initially sharing the clip on twitter, the tesla and spaceX CEO followed up to withdraw the NFT from sale saying, ‘actually, doesn’t feel quite right selling this. will pass.’ the video clip had been listed on valuables, a non-fungible marketplace dedicated to the sale of tweets, where it had received a bid of $1,121,000.

 

if you’re still wondering what an NFT is — or why one by beeple recently sold for more than $69,000,000 — see designboom’s guide to the non-fungible art world here.

 

elon musk