“The iPhone was out in the 90s and the 80s”: Adin Ross sets off debate with wild tech history claim

Adin Ross is once again in the limelight after coming out with a historically inaccurate and bold claim about Apple's iPhone. In a viral moment, Ross went on to state that "iPhones have been made and sold in the 80s and the 90s.

" This led to fiery exchanges across social media.

The Viral Clip Featuring MrBeast and xQc

On the 3rd of September, 2025, the X user by the name @shitpost_2049 posted an 11-second snippet from a joint live stream featuring Adin Ross, Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson, and Felix "xQc" Lengyel. The occasion was an event where the three were trying to raise funds for TeamWater, which is MrBeast's newest philanthropic effort.During this stream, Ross confidently announced:"You guys think that the iPhones are the latest technology? The iPhone was out in the 90s and the 80s.

We've got crazier s**t now."The comment went viral in no time, with the clip gathering more than 3.6 million views and hitting upwards of 100,000 likes.

Doubling Down on the Claim

Instead of backtracking, Ross went further on his statement in a September 4 livestream while addressing the backlash that began to appear. He said that government officials and powerful elites had access to iPhones and perhaps more extreme technologies even before anyone else.

The comments were mocked by many, but they held sway in conspiracy circles, which believe technology is often “withheld” from mainstream society.

Social Media Reactions

The Internet wasted no time responding. Many users laughed at Ross's version of tech history, basically pointing out that the first iPhone was officially released by Apple in 2007, several years after the time period he referred to. Others were joking about what a “1980s iPhone” would have looked like-full of big terrible buttons and dial-up internet.

Adin Ross simply is a man known for inciting controversial statements, and the latest incident serves as proof of his increased power on steering internet conversations. Such accusations fuel viral debates that hold his name through trending, be it a seemingly adamant lie.The whole controversy is an occasion to show how misinformation-or recklessness masquerading as speculation-can spread at the speed of livestreaming. Though Ross may not have been right about Apple’s timeline, what he said resonated with a much wider cultural curiosity about hidden technology.