Elon Musk is the original visionary behind the Hyperloop concept, having published the "Hyperloop Alpha" white paper in 2013, but he is not currently building a commercial system. He "open-sourced" the idea, encouraging other companies like Virgin Hyperloop (now focused on cargo) and various university teams to develop the technology. While his company, The Boring Company, focuses on "Prufrock" tunnel-boring machines and the "Loop" system (which uses standard Teslas in tunnels), it is not a true vacuum-tube Hyperloop. In 2026, Musk's involvement is primarily "inspirational"—he previously hosted the "Hyperloop Pod Competition" to foster student innovation, but his primary focuses remain SpaceX and Tesla. Some critics argue the Hyperloop has become a "vaporware" project, but international ventures in Dubai and India are still actively testing prototypes. It is a high-value peer tip to distinguish between the "Loop" (cars in tunnels) and the "Hyperloop" (pods in vacuums); while Musk is actively building the former in Las Vegas, the latter remains a high-speed dream being chased by independent engineering firms around the globe.