Representatives for Rober’s company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the video, Rober said he was aiming the Tesla at the wall on Autopilot going 40 miles per hour “to see if Tesla’s Autopilot can be tricked because it famously only relies on simple cameras to navigate the world as opposed to much more expensive tech.” Throughout the test, the former NASA engineer and Apple product designer praised “fancy cars that use more advanced technology,” like vehicles powered by Luminar’s vision-based LiDAR technology. The video also included Luminar employees and merchandise. Mark Rober praised LiDAR tech firm Luminar so often throughout the video that viewers questioned whether the footage was an elaborate ad. YouTube/Mark Rober Fueling theories that the video was secretly sponsored, Luminar highlighted the video on its corporate website – later deleting it when backlash unfolded, according to Drive Tesla Canada, a news site about Musk’s automaker. “Thanks to Luminar for allowing us to test their LiDAR-equipped car,” Rober said in the caption under the YouTube video. “They provided the vehicle for testing purposes, but no compensation was given, and this is not a paid promotion.” Critics also took issue with the title of the video: “Can you fool a self-driving car?” Rober claimed he engaged Tesla’s Autopilot feature, which is technically a driver-assistance feature – meaning the driver should pay attention and be ready to take over – not a self-driving mode. Social media users also tried to poke holes in Rober’s supposed use of the Autopilot feature. Critics also took issue with the title of the video since Tesla’s Autopilot feature is not technically a full self-driving mode. YouTube/Mark Rober Some argued the feature did not appear to be engaged at the time of the crash, since images of the central display do not show the telltale blue lines and rainbow road that indicate Autopilot is on. Rober responded by posting “raw footage” from the crash to dispel rumors, writing in a post on X that he’s unsure “why it disengages 17 frames before hitting the wall but my feet weren’t touching the brake or gas.” But the raw footage stoked even more scrutiny from Tesla fanatics who pointed out that the original footage showed Autopilot engaged at 39 miles per hour – and the new clip showed the system activated at 42 miles per hour, indicating there were multiple takes of the test. Social media users speculated that the video was set up to further damage Tesla’s image as Musk’s close ties to the White House through the Department of Government Efficiency spook investors. Social media users speculated that the video was set up to further damage Tesla’s image as Musk’s ties to the White House spook investors. AP