Elon Musk Is So Mad About This New Documentary That He’s Threatening Legal Action

Elon Musk, the tech titan known for his gravitational fascination with chess, seems to be struggling with the complexities of the legal system following the release of a new documentary about his life. The film, titled simply "Musk," is a four-hour deep dive into his journey from his South African roots to his political forays, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney.

Musk, who has previously dismissed the film as a "hit piece," has now escalated his grievances to the point of threatening legal action against Gibney's production company, Jigsaw Productions.

According to Musk's legal team, led by Alex Spiro, the documentary contains defamatory content, specifically alleging that Musk was involved in rigging the 2024 U.S. presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. The legal team cites a scene in the film featuring Ashley St. Clair, a former right-wing influencer who had a child with Musk but later severed ties with him.

In the scene, St. Clair recounts texts from Musk, which suggest he believes he can influence the election outcome by deploying his Starlink satellites to cast votes for Trump.

Spiro argues that these claims are false and that Gibney chose to omit crucial evidence refuting them. The legal letter demands that Jigsaw Productions issues a public disclaimer before releasing the film, informing viewers of the debunked nature of the claims and providing the rebuttals. Musk himself has been vocal about his displeasure with the documentary since its announcement in 2023, calling it a "hit piece" even before any details were publicly known.

Despite Gibney's retort, "How would you know?" Musk has remained unreconciled, intensifying his criticism through various posts on X (formerly Twitter) and claiming that Gibney is "a douchebag to his core" with an "incredibly biased" perspective.

Musk's legal strategy, however, faces significant hurdles. In the United States, proving defamation is notoriously challenging. The victim must demonstrate that the statement was false, made with negligence or malice, and caused harm. St. Clair, one of the film's subjects, dismissed Musk's legal threats as "a joke," stating, "They are more likely to colonize Mars than win a defamation case against Alex Gibney."

Spiro's letter is thus met with skepticism, labeled by St. Clair as "fairy dust letters" filled with convoluted legal jargon.