Unusual Friedel–Crafts alkylation with pivaloyl chloride
You were on right path; tert-butyl carbocation is quite stable$\ldots$ so stable that the acylium cation, which normally reacts as an electrophile itself, instead decomposes via decarbonylation (loss of stable carbon monoxide molecule).



The t-butyl carbocation isn't as stable as the acylium cation (which is stabilised by resonance), but the difference is small enough that with the help of the non-reversibility of CO loss (which is removed from the mixture as a gas) and reduction of the steric strain (which is lower in t-butyl than in acylium), it is enough to make it the main reaction route instead of a side route.