Remote control (EDIT: Pre-scripted, no driver. Think Boston Dynamics dance videos). Imagine the shitshow if there was someone there and the Cybertruck-reveal level of preparedness played out on live broadcast.

It was a programmed flight. No one in the car, no one actively controlling it. Probably a handful of people monitoring different things with a big red kill switch.

The inside of that car was the smallest battery that would work, a compressed gas can or two, and bare metal. No seats, no wheel, no screen.

If someone had been in that car, and they were not in a full on stunt driver safety suit and harness, pretty good chance they'd be seriously injured, possibly paralyzed, possibly having an induced heart attack, possibly passed out / unconscious.

Sure you can make the car itself do that... but a human meatbag inside a car doing that? Much less a typically overweight/obese average American driver?

Thats a lot of extreme g forces in violently rapidly changing axes and directions.

I wonder if Elon will provide the g suit and pilot g force conditioning regimen...

(obviously he will not)

I don't believe them that it was compromised air, it was probably actually a monopropellant given its space x tech.