I agree that the original source isn’t 100% unimpeachable, but I also wouldn’t call OP’s post a “lie.” A reporter included this assertion as fact in a biography of Musk based on extensive reporting. It’s always difficult to gauge the veracity of anonymous sources, but Vance seems very confident that the Hyperloop thing is true. Whether that’s based on a conversation with Musk himself or someone close to him, we don’t really know.