• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

Did Elon Musk Visit the Pentagon to Talk About a Real-Life Iron Man?

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 9, 2016, 10:36 AM ET
US-ENTERTAINMENT-FILM-OSCARS
CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Elon Musk and wife Talulah Riley arrive to the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 2, 2014 in West Hollywood, California. AFP PHOTO/ADRIAN SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ (Photo credit should read ADRIAN SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ/AFP/Getty Images)Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez—AFP via Getty Images

The Defense Department isn’t saying why Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk was at the Pentagon on Wednesday. But the outspoken Musk provided one possible reason.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Musk referenced a CNN story that confirmed he was at the Pentagon that day. He added, “Something about a flying metal suit,” tipping that he could have discussed the iconic flying metal suit found in the Iron Man franchise. He has not commented about his trip to the Pentagon beyond that.

Of course, it’s unlikely that Musk talked about an Iron Man-like suit and his tweet was likely meant as a joke, but he was indeed at the Pentagon on Wednesday, the Defense Department confirmed to CNN. While neither Musk nor the Defense Department would say exactly what they talked about, a spokesman at the Pentagon said they discussed “innovation.” The spokesman added that the meeting was a fact-finding mission of sorts, to see “what’s going on in the world of innovation.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Musk currently has government contracts with the U.S. through his other company, SpaceX, which helps the U.S. government launch satellites into orbit. He has made clear in the past that he wants to extend his SpaceX partnerships with the government. However, the Defense Department said that the parties didn’t discuss any contracts during the meeting.

The fuzziness about what went on in the meeting is compelling enough, but it comes against the backdrop of the U.S.—and especially Defense Secretary Ash Carter—trying to improve relationships with the technology companies.

Something about a flying metal suit…https://t.co/6Z1D9iZ1fV

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2016

Earlier this year, for instance, the Defense Department announced that it would launch the Defense Innovation Advisory Board. The department tapped Alphabet (GOOGL) executive chairman Eric Schmidt to lead the board, which will also include up to a dozen people who have “excelled” in the technology sector.

“The board’s mandate is to provide department leaders independent advice on innovative and adaptive means to address future organizational and cultural challenges, including the use of technology alternatives, streamlined project management processes and approaches—all with the goal of identifying quick solutions to DoD problems,” the agency said at the time.

For more on Tesla, watch:

It’s possible, therefore, that Musk might find himself on that board. Members haven’t yet been announced.

In addition to the board, Carter has established the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, which works with companies in Silicon Valley and Boston to see what sorts of innovations they’re developing that could be adopted by the government.

So, while it’s possible Musk really was there to at least joke about being the real-life Tony Stark, chances are, he was only there to talk about everything but an Iron Man suit.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

AIU.S. workers
Viral deepfake ad casts Musk, Bezos, and Altman as corpulent overlords powering AI on human sweat. Its creator says the best jokes tell the truth
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 4, 2026
58 minutes ago
OpenAI logo
AIOpenAI
OpenAI sees Codex users spike to 1 million, positions coding tool as gateway to AI agents for business
By Jeremy KahnMarch 4, 2026
4 hours ago
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
Lenovo’s CIO says patience is a virtue in AI investing, but the clock is ticking
By John KellMarch 4, 2026
4 hours ago
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive officer of Uber Technologies
Successwork-life balance
Uber CEO says his ‘really demanding’ work culture includes expecting employees to answer his emails over the weekend: ‘Don’t come here if you want to coast’
By Emma BurleighMarch 4, 2026
5 hours ago
man poses with arms crossed over legs
CryptoCryptocurrency
Exclusive: Cyclops raises $8 million to build stablecoin infrastructure for payments companies
By Carlos GarciaMarch 4, 2026
8 hours ago
altman
AIdocumentaries
Sam Altman turned down a documentary’s requests to talk. So the director cast a ‘Sam Bot’ as its protagonist
By Michael Liedtke and The Associated PressMarch 4, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Interest on the $38.8 trillion national debt has tripled since 2020, and it already costs taxpayers more than defense and Medicaid
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Cybersecurity
Cities join Amazon in cutting ties with license-plate reader Flock following Ring's Super Bowl ad—that Flock 'didn't have anything to do with'
By Catherina GioinoMarch 3, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
Meet a burned out 28-year-old who pays $168 a month in China's faux Venice to retire early from her Shanghai finance gig
By Albee Zhang and The Associated PressMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Health
Palantir and other tech companies are stocking offices with tobacco products to increase worker productivity
By Catherina GioinoMarch 4, 2026
13 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 3, 2026
By Danny BakstMarch 3, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard controls a sprawling business empire that dominates the economy
By Jason MaMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.