For Elon Musk, it was just another throwaway joke to spark excitement on a quiet night on Twitter.
But many Manchester United fans, desperate for a bit of hope to latch on to amid misery on and off the pitch, have struggled to take it so lightly.
On Tuesday night, out of the blue, the world's richest man tweeted: 'Also, I'm buying Manchester United ur welcome', followed hours later by: 'No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I'm not buying any sports teams. Although, if it were any team, it would be Man U.