‘Enron Egg’ home nuclear reactor device is parody

Claims that Enron has created a “mini nuclear reactor for residential use” are being shared online. But a website announcing this supposed relaunch of the energy company (which went bankrupt in 2001) says it is “performance art” and there’s no evidence any such ‘Enron egg’ nuclear reactor device actually exists. 

Social media posts include a clip of a man on stage standing next to an egg-shaped device in front of a large audience. He says: “Introducing the Enron Egg, the world's first micro nuclear reactor for residential suburban use. This little device can power your entire home for up to 10 continuous years.” 

He goes on to claim that the product has “unlocked a new Atomic age” and that the company will partner with the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “to provide nuclear eggs to rapid response teams all around the globe”.

However, this is a parody, and we could find no evidence of any such device actually having been created. 

The man introducing the product appears to be Connor Gaydos, who helped to create a mock conspiracy theory known as “Birds Aren’t Real”—a parody ‘movement’ claiming that the US government replaced all birds with drone replicas that are spying on Americans—which satirised the spread of misinformation on social media. 

In the clip, another person is invited onto the stage to supposedly explain how the device works. He says it’s heat resistant because of its “advanced enronium casing”, but this is not a genuine chemical element or material, and appears to be a satirical reference to the company’s name. 

The clip has been shared on X (formerly Twitter) with a caption saying: “This is INSANE!” and on Facebook with one person saying: “Not sure if I want a nuclear reactor of any size in my home”. People in the comments of another post have asked: “Who owns and maintains and who gets rid of spent fuel?” and “Who are the investors in this?” which suggests they think the device is real. 

Where does the claim come from?

The clip comes from a website supposedly relaunching the energy company Enron, which collapsed in 2001 following widespread accounting fraud that saw some executives sent to prison. 

A press release published on 30 November 2024 said the company would be dedicated to “solving the global energy crisis”, and its social media channels say: “We are on a mission to transform energy, forever”. 

A page on the website, which uses the original logo, is dedicated to the Enron Egg, and the clip has also been promoted recently by Enron’s social media channels, where it has thousands of shares. The website also features a “company store” that appears to be selling merchandise. 

‘Performance art’ 

However, while this may appear legitimate, it is actually “performance art”. 

Under the ‘Terms of Use and Conditions of Sale’ section of the website, it says: “The information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.”

According to a 2020 document reported on by CNN, the Enron trademark was purchased for $275 by an Arkansas-based business called The College Company. The co-founder of The College Company is reportedly Mr Gaydos, who is listed as the CEO of Enron on LinkedIn.

Although this may seem obviously fake to some people, we still think it’s important to fact check them because it may not be clear to everyone that it is untrue. We’ve written more about why we sometimes do this on our blog.

This is not the first time we’ve seen satirical or artistic material being shared as if it’s real. Other recent examples include an AI image supposedly showing a statue of Roald Dahl resembling Jimmy Savile, and an injured ‘Palestinian baby’ doll shared with claims it was made in Israel.