Elon Musk's Boring Company Expands in Middle East
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What happened
The Boring Company, Elon Musk's tunneling firm, announced it had raised $3 billion in a Series D round that values the company at $23 billion. The round was led by the United Arab Emirates, and the company said it plans to build more than 150 kilometers of tunnels there. Other participants named in coverage include Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Valor Equity Partners, Human Capital, Vy Capital, and Baron Capital. The firm currently operates a Tesla-based underground loop in Las Vegas and has begun work on a similar project in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sourcing check · Mostly on the record · 3 articles
2 of 3 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 2 of 3
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: The Boring Company
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 0 of 3
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: None cited.
- Credits another outlet 1 of 3
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: The Wall Street Journal
- Unnamed sources 0 of 3
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Sep 10, 10:19 UTC by Business Insider, naming its source.
- Not counted 0
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
BLINDSPOT.
Only left-leaning outlets are covering this story
— the other side's media is silent.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Right-leaning coverage of the raise does not exist. Left-leaning coverage reports a UAE-led round that values The Boring Company at $23 billion and a new tunnel contract in the Emirates, while stressing that earlier American city projects were shelved. The same coverage notes that the only loop open to the public sits under Las Vegas and that Tesla cars run through it. A reader of the silent side misses the funding itself and the company's thin list of completed loops.
The two left-leaning writeups do not lead the same way. Business Insider opens on investor hunger for Musk companies and treats the round as part of a wider rush into his firms. CNBC instead catalogs environmental violations in Las Vegas and opposition in Nashville.
How much of the new capital is the UAE's own money rather than funds from existing Musk investors?
Bottom line
The Boring Company's new $23 billion valuation is a left-only story so far. The writeups that exist put that figure beside a reminder that tunnels promised for Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington never opened.
The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
- The Boring Company raised $3 billion in a UAE-led round valuing the company at $23 billion
- Investors were told they would have to help with recruiting employees or setting up business deals to join the round
- The company racked up hundreds of environmental violations in Las Vegas
- The Wall Street Journal reported the company had been looking to raise as much as $4 billion
- The Baltimore Ravens won a contest for a free one-mile tunnel and then turned the offer down
The Left View
Business Insider and CNBC report the $3 billion raise and $23 billion valuation as the latest large cash infusion into Musk-affiliated companies, following SpaceX's public listing. They identify the UAE as lead investor in connection with plans for over 150 km of tunnels, list participating venture firms, and describe The Boring Company's limited operating system today as the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, with expansion plans in Las Vegas, Nashville, and Dubai. Both outlets recount earlier tunnel proposals in Los Angeles, Chicago, and the Washington, D.C. area that were shelved or never built. CNBC notes Nashville opposition, prior environmental and workplace-safety citations in Las Vegas and Texas, and operational ties to Tesla. Business Insider cites a Wall Street Journal report that investors were asked to help with recruiting or dealmaking to join the round.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: it is anchored in a company announcement with specific dollar amounts, a named lead investor, a stated valuation, named co-investors, and a concrete construction commitment. Established facts are that The Boring Company publicly disclosed a $3 billion Series D at a $23 billion valuation led by the UAE, with stated plans for more than 150 km of tunnels; those claims are checkable against the company's statement and the named firms. Secondary details — investor recruiting conditions, canceled U.S. city projects, and environmental citations — rest on prior reporting and are not independently re-documented in these articles. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for UAE government or contract confirmation of the tunnel program, any filings that corroborate the round size and valuation, and whether announced mileage proceeds to permits and groundbreaking.
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