Elon Musk's new 'media empire' with Onion comedy writers might be called Thud

Elon Musk, the billionaire inventor, has announced he is launching a "new intergalactic media empire" called Thud, or Thud! – "exclamation point optional".

It's possible he is joking, although if the Tesla founder had mentioned two years ago that he would soon be launching an electric car into space, or selling "zombie defence" flamethrowers, one might have assumed he was joking then, too.

But this time, joking may be at the heart of the business. Earlier this week the Daily Beast reported that Musk had hired two former editors from satirical news site The Onion for a new "secret" comedy project. 

“It’s pretty obvious that comedy is the next frontier after electric vehicles, space exploration, and brain-computer interfaces,” said Musk, 46. “Don’t know how anyone’s not seeing this.”

"We can confirm that we have learned nothing from prevailing trends in media and are launching a brand-new comedy project," former Onion staffers Cole Bolton and Ben Berkley said in a statement. The pair have reportedly hired three writers and an editor from the Onion for the enterprise.

Musk had reportedly considered buying The Onion itself in 2014, but it now seems his new venture could be in direct competition with it. The South African-born entrepeneur, who as of 2016 had an estimated net worth of around ￡6 billion, also owns neuro-technology company Neuralink and space travel business SpaceX.