A Vision Pro–and Pranking–No-No: Driving While Goggled

At least the analog seatbelt was fastened. It’s a smart move when you pull a stupid human-car trick.

Californian tech bro Dante Lentini, 21, briefly went viral over the weekend after posting a video on X showing him driving his Tesla on autopilot while using an Apple Vision Pro headset. The video, which he confessed was a staged stunt, shows 30-40 seconds of hands-free driving with the high-tech goggles and has racked up more than 24 million views.

The 25-second video, shot from the passenger seat as the car rolls down the highway, features soft piano music and shows Lentini moving his hands in midair, off his car’s steering wheel, while wearing the $3,500 Vision Pro headset. Its final few seconds shows the car at rest, with the flashing lights of police cars visible through the back and side windows. The website Gizmodo, which reposted the video from Lentini’s account, originally reported that Lentini had confirmed his arrest.

The website on Monday said Lentini confessed the video was a staged stunt, and that police did not arrest him, though the video made it appear as though the driver had been stopped.

“[I] was in the right place at the right time,” he told Gizmodo in an update of the original story. “That’s why we filmed the police.”

Lentini’s LinkedIn page says he’s a product manager at Hyper, a software startup in Palo Alto. It also lists his undergraduate degree from New York University and a professional certification from MIT — apparent proof that many different kinds of intelligence exist in the world, and that some varieties of smarts have nothing to do with common sense.

Gizmodo noted that Tesla got rid of its PR department in 2020, and that neither the company nor Apple responded for comment. Teslas have three assisted driving modes: Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving. A driver’s hands must be on the wheel in all three modes–even the full self-driving mode isn’t totally autonomous. 

Apple’s product guide for the Vision Pro is a testament of sorts to the boundless capacity for stupid human tricks: “Always remain aware of your environment and body posture during use. Apple Vision Pro is designed for use in controlled areas that are safe, on a level surface. Never use Apple Vision Pro while operating a moving vehicle, bicycle, heavy machinery, or in any other situations requiring attention to safety.”

Indeed.

There was plenty of online scorn heaped on the early, unwise adopter.

“Congratulations, you’re putting the lives of millions of people at risk for online clout,” X user Amir wrote under Lentini’s post.

Online, Lentini responded: “my bad, had a meeting.” He did not expand on his discussion with police.

Lentini’s driving video wasn’t the only example of him using the Vision Pro in a questionable setting. The preceding post shows him exiting a port-a-potty with the high-tech headset, presumably enhancing his visit to the loo through spatial computing. 

As the outhouse door closes, Lentini climbs into his Tesla, his pricey goggles firmly affixed to his head, and a long ribbon of toilet paper trailing from his right shoe.

Hilarity ensues.