‘Petty, narcissistic, megalomaniacal’: Alex Gibney’s four-hour film takes aim at Musk

A four-hour documentary directed by Alex Gibney premiered at the Venice Film Festival, taking aim at Elon Musk. The film paints Musk as a petty, narcissistic, and megalomaniacal figure, with critics calling it "lacerating" and "damning." The film chronicles Musk's journey from a Silicon Valley dot.com entrepreneur in the early 2000s to becoming the world's first trillionaire.

One of the most touching moments is when Musk's first wife, Justine, reflects on their relationship and the difficulties they faced. Musk whispered to Justine at their wedding, "I am the alpha in this relationship." Musk also had a secret child with right-wing influencer Ashley St Clair, for which he demanded a $15 million payment and $100,000 a month for 21 years from her.

After refusing, she became one of Gibney's most important sources. The documentary also examines Musk's political conversion from a left-leaning entrepreneur to a supporter of far-right politicians during the Covid pandemic. Musk's eldest son's transition to female, which Musk attributed to the "woke mind virus," is also a topic in the film.

The documentary touches on Musk's reported drug use, including ketamine and LSD, and reveals that he contacted WSJ owner Rupert Murdoch to block the paper's story. Musk refused to speak to Gibney and called him a "douchebag" on his social network X. The film also highlights Musk's involvement in the Trump administration's "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), which was linked to thousands of deaths due to cuts in international aid.

Gibney speculates that Musk's team may have weaponized the data they accessed in federal government systems, potentially for future use.