In short, it was not true that Buffett bought Tesla for $1 trillion — or for any other amount. Rather, the claim originated from an article labeled as an April Fools'

Musk's social media antics were part of an April Fool's prank, but investors weren't laughing. Tesla shares dropped another 5 percent, according to The Washington Post, with business experts openly questioning Musk's ability to lead the multi-billion dollar company.

For every well-executed corporate hoax, there's an overeager company whose ill-conceived pranks have blown up in their faces, sometimes badly.