Abstract:
Elon Musk has fiercely rebuked the director of "Musk," a four-hour documentary about his life and influence, calling the film's director Alex Gibney a "grudge-filled old man" with no integrity. Gibney, who has directed films about the Enron collapse, WikiLeaks and Vladimir Putin, has his Musk documentary premiering at the Venice Film Festival this week. He said he believed the world's richest man was "extremely dangerous."
Musk continuously posted on X to denounce the film, calling it a failed smear work. He added that the four-hour documentary, which was highly critical of him, was "boring as hell."
A supporter left a message saying that he had never heard of Gibney before this documentary. Musk replied: "This is a psychological war," referring to a planned psychological propaganda operation designed to control the public's thinking.
"Gibney has no integrity, not at all." Musk wrote, "Fortunately, his film is boring... This is a failed smear campaign and a fatal mistake that makes it boring for four hours.
"Gibney just collected a group of dissatisfied interviewees. Some people didn't know me at all, but they were still hostile to me... He was an old man full of resentment and had long lost his mind.
"Even trash deserves more respect than Gibney."
Media reported on Thursday that Musk's lawyers had threatened to sue Gibney for defamation.
This documentary has aroused heated discussions since its premiere, and the relevant claims made by the interviewees in the film have also caused waves.
Musk specifically denied the claims of his ex-girlfriend Ashley St. Clair, an internet celebrity who supports the "Make America Great Again" movement. Ashley said that Musk's team had offered her $40 million to sign a confidentiality agreement and not disclose the details of their relationship to the public. Musk wrote: "No one has ever offered her this money, and she has a history of making up false claims."
Musk also reposted a post from podcast host Katie Miller. Miller is the wife of Trump's core adviser Stephen Miller and also served as communications director at Musk's "Government Effectiveness Department." Miller complained that few acquaintances and allies of Musk appeared in the film.
"The film lacks the participation of those who have experienced it, and this film cannot be said to be an 'authoritative documentary' at all." She said, "This fictional film is just a smear campaign launched by a narcissistic Hollywood director."
Musk’s use of the X platform to influence public opinion and determine the priority of platform content recommendations has aroused huge repercussions internationally. He has repeatedly intervened in discussions on British immigration policy, and also praised Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party for its impressive results in local elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt this week.
Gibney said at a press conference at the Venice Film Festival that when interviewing relevant people for the film, he sensed a general fear among the interviewees. He speculated that Musk’s childhood in South Africa might explain his current behavior.
"His childhood was full of hardship and trauma," Gibney said. "If you look at it from a psychoanalytic perspective, to some extent, he is now transferring his childhood trauma onto all of us."
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