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Can a Party Game Take on SpaceX? You Bet.
In a bizarre yet entirely on-brand move, Cards Against Humanity (CAH) has taken legal action against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, accusing the space giant of trespassing and damaging land owned by the game maker in the rural outskirts of Brownsville, Texas. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, seeks $15 million in damages for what CAH calls the destruction of natural vegetation and unauthorized use of their land.
We knew Texas was big, but this big? CAH is headquartered in Chicago, hundreds of miles away from its patch of land in the Lone Star State. Texas might be home to some of the most massive ranches and tracts of wilderness in the country, but if you thought Cards Against Humanity’s property would go unnoticed in all that space, you thought wrong.
Welcome to Texas, where everything is bigger—including your neighbors’ construction projects.
From Party Game to Property Owner
For those not keeping up, Cards Against Humanity is no stranger to headline-grabbing stunts.
The company initially purchased this plot of land in 2017 as part of a crowdfunding campaign.
The mission? To thwart then-President Donald Trump’s border wall by buying up property right in its path. While the wall never materialized on CAH’s acreage, the company did put up a “No Trespassing” sign—a clear indicator they meant business, at least when it came to preserving the land’s natural beauty.
According to the lawsuit, however, SpaceX had other plans, allegedly turning the land into a staging ground for vehicles, generators, and gravel.
Now, the makers of the irreverent card game are calling foul, claiming SpaceX has “destroyed its natural condition” and harmed their relationship with the 150,000 donors who helped buy the land.
Wait, They Want Twitter.com?
Adding a dash of the usual Cards Against Humanity flair, the lawsuit includes a cheeky offer: CAH would consider accepting Twitter.com as compensation. Yes, the very same social media platform Musk bought in 2022 and promptly renamed X.
Which brings us to the burning question:
How long are we supposed to go around calling it ‘X, formerly known as Twitter’?
Is this the new “Artist Formerly Known as Prince” situation? At some point, we have to move on, right? But with a platform that’s still universally referred to as Twitter by just about everyone, it begs the question:
When will we know to stop calling it that?
Your guess is as good as mine.
The Rural Reality of Texas—and Its Unlikely Standoffs
Back to the land in question: for those unfamiliar with the area, Brownsville, Texas, is about as far from Chicago as you can get, both in terms of geography and vibe. It’s a quiet, expansive region near the Gulf of Mexico where space might feel infinite—perfect for launching rockets, right? Well, that’s apparently what SpaceX thought when they started using the land as a construction zone for their operations, known as Starbase.
This isn’t the first time SpaceX has faced scrutiny in Texas. The rocket company has been criticized for its environmental impact, with Texas state agencies even citing violations for polluting local water bodies. And despite the high-flying achievements, including historic launches and deep space missions, SpaceX’s rural Texas neighbors aren’t always thrilled about having rockets in their backyard.
What Happens Next?
So, what’s CAH’s next move? They say if they win the lawsuit, they’ll pass on the compensation—up to $100 per person—to the original 150,000 donors who helped fund the land purchase. It’s a move that stays true to the company’s often chaotic, yet crowd-pleasing, approach.
As for SpaceX, neither Musk nor his team has responded to the lawsuit yet. But if history is any indication, expect the billionaire to take this legal squabble with the same kind of nonchalance he brings to rocket science, environmental controversy, and renaming entire social media platforms.
Final Thoughts: When Game Makers and Rocket Launchers Collide
In a state as vast as Texas, one might think there’s room for everyone—game makers, rocket builders, and a few million cows. But this legal clash between Cards Against Humanity and SpaceX proves that even the most rural corners of Texas can host some unlikely confrontations.
Stay tuned as this story unfolds, because in a world where irreverent card games can take on space companies, anything is possible.
NBC News first reported this story.
