UCF student says he'll stop tracking Elon Musk's private jet on X if he does one thing

ORLANDO, Fla. - Years after Elon Musk reportedly offered Jack Sweeney $5,000 to stop tracking his private jet on social media, the Florida college student now has a proposition of his own. 

Could Sweeney, the University of Central Florida student who's made numerous headlines in recent years for tracking Taylor Swift and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' private jets and posting their flight data on X, be looking to get out of Musk's hair?

The offer launched when UCF head football coach Gus Malzahn went on a trip to Chicago last week and posted a photo on X with Sweeney. 

"Hey @elonmusk. I found the guy who's been tracking your plane," Malzahn shared alongside a selfie of him and Sweeney. "Good to meet @Jxck_Sweeney up in Chicago!" 

Sweeney then shared the post on his own account, adding: "Hey @elonmusk sponsor UCF's stadium and consider @ElonJet gone."

Folks in the replies were seemingly thrilled that the idea of "SpaceX Stadium" is sort of on the table. It's something that UCF fans have been pushing for in recent years, ahead of – and even after – the university inked a 10-year deal with FBC Mortgage for the stadium naming rights for nearly $20 million in 2022. Before FBC Mortgage Stadium was a thing, UCF's on-campus football stadium went by its nickname, the "Bounce House," for about two seasons after the Spectrum Stadium naming rights deal ended in 2020. 

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Sweeney said in a new interview with FOX 35 this week that his offer was legit, and fans are dedicated to the possibility. 

"Do it @elon musk," one user wrote. 

"If you make this happen, you will be a king of Orlando!!" said another. 

"Something tells me Elon doesn't take bribes haha. But this would be a poetic match," another user wrote. 

FOX 35 has contacted UCF Athletics for comment. There has been no word back yet. Musk, who regularly replies to posts on X, has not yet publicly commented on Sweeney's offer. 

We spoke with Sweeney on Monday afternoon, who said he'll follow through with his deal if Musk does, too. 

"I’ve always had a lot of love for UCF, and UCF sure has a lot of development for space students, and a lot of their students go to the Space Center, but you know, I was like, I saw that Gus shared the picture when I met him, and I was like, ‘You know, I think it would be a cool idea,’" Sweeney said.

So if Musk accepted, would Sweeney be true to his word?

"Obviously, if it happens, I'd have to do it," Sweeney told us, adding that he doesn't think it'll happen, but it would be pretty cool if it did. 

As far as a potential name for UCF's stadium goes, Sweeney favors "Starlink Stadium," he said. Any type of on-field sponsorship would also be considered a win in Sweeney's book, he said. 

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@ElonJet was suspended on Twitter back in 2022 because he was reportedly violating the social media platform's rules. As a loophole, Sweeney created a second account that instead posts Musk's jet's publicly available flight data 24 hours after traveling. The account had over 500,000 followers at the time it was suspended. 

Sweeney started the account in 2020, when he was just a teen. It automatically posted the Gulfstream flight with a map and estimated how much jet fuel and carbon emissions it expended. He's also created similar accounts for Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Russian oligarchs. 

"(Musk) said this is free speech, and he’s doing the opposite," Sweeney said in an interview with The Associated Press. 

The suspension marked the end of a years-long battle with the SpaceX CEO, who, at one point, reportedly offered the college student $5,000 to take the account down, citing security concerns. 

"He reaches out to me, and he asked ‘Can you take this down?’ Then he was like, he doesn’t like the whole system, calling it primitive and everything, then he offers me $5,000 to take it down," Sweeney told FOX 35 at the time. 

Sweeney turned the offer down, and even asked Musk to up the offer to $50,000, plus an internship. No dice. 

"I’d put in so much work and time, and it’s something I enjoy doing, and 5K doesn’t seem like a lot for how much I get out of it, and I enjoy doing it," Sweeney said. 

This isn't the only battle with a famous face that Sweeney's been a part of. 

Between December 2023 and February 2024, Sweeney and Taylor Swift got into it regarding an X account that tracks the "Cruel Summer" singer's flight data. Swift's legal team sent Sweeney a cease and desist letter.

Taylor Swift course being offered at UCF

In a statement at the time to FOX 35, Sweeney said Swift's attorneys ordered him to stop his "stalking and harassing behavior." In a clap back to the Grammy-winning artist, Sweeney said it's public information that's of the public interest. 

"Her fans, who have grown the TaylorSwiftJets accounts and subreddit, are the ones truly interested. These tracking accounts consistently have more supporters and fans," Sweeney said. "When the Embassy of Japan in the USA expresses confidence that Swift can make a flight from Tokyo to the Super Bowl, it indicates public interest.

"Therefore, one should reasonably expect that their jet will be tracked, whether or not I’m the one doing it, as it is public information after all."

As the bad blood brewed between the two, Musk also weighed in on the exchange.  

"Sweeney is an awful human being. Taylor Swift is right to be concerned," Musk said on X in February. 

"Let's remember you offered me 5k to stop. Also threatened to sue me, and here we are a year later," Sweeney replied. 

At the end of the day, Sweeney said he's not trying to cause harm, but he believes in the "importance of transparency and public information." 

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