A new four-hour documentary titled “Musk,” directed by Alex Gibney, offers an in-depth and multifaceted portrayal of Elon Musk, tracing his rise as a technology entrepreneur while probing the controversies surrounding his public and private behavior. The film, released recently, blends traditional interviews with innovative visual elements, including computer-generated avatars and metaphorical sequences, to capture the complexities of Musk’s influence and personality.
Musk, now 55, is depicted as a figure both visionary and deeply contentious. While recognized for his engineering capabilities and business acumen, critics featured in the documentary highlight his tendency toward self-promotion and exaggeration. Kara Swisher, a noted tech commentator who transitioned from supporter to critic, describes Musk as someone who aggressively elevates his own importance. The film scrutinizes Musk’s managerial style, characterizing it as flawed, and casts doubt on some of his company’s technological claims—particularly Tesla’s “Full-Self Driving” feature, which was revealed to have been misrepresented in a 2016 promotional video and has been linked to multiple lawsuits following fatal accidents.
The documentary also explores Musk’s political entanglements, noting his alliance with former President Donald Trump, which emerged in response to COVID-19 lockdown mandates that Musk viewed as harmful to Tesla’s operations. This alliance reportedly contributed to the suspension of federal investigations into Musk’s enterprises during the Trump administration. Despite a brief public dispute over budget legislation, the relationship between Musk and Trump appears to be one of mutual benefit, with Trump relying on Musk’s financial support while Musk seeks regulatory leniency.
Musk’s biography is a central focus, tracing his early years in South Africa, his abrupt departure from Stanford University in 1995, and his subsequent ventures, including Zip2, PayPal, SpaceX, and Tesla. Documentary interviews with figures such as former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and astrophysicist Adam Becker provide critical perspectives on Musk’s vision. While SpaceX has been credited with pioneering reusable rockets and securing significant government contracts, some experts dismiss Musk’s plans for Mars colonization as unrealistic, citing the planet’s hostile environment.
The film also delves into Musk’s personal life, highlighting his role as a father to at least 14 children with multiple partners and his efforts to increase humanity’s population amid concerns about declining birth rates. Ashley St. Clair, a former conservative influencer and mother of one of Musk’s children, recalls receiving frequent direct messages from Musk on X, the social platform he acquired in 2022, which subsequently lost 80% of its value. Musk’s first wife, Justine Musk, shares emotional reflections on family tragedies, including the death of their first child due to sudden infant death syndrome and the challenges faced by their transgender daughter, Vivian. Justine accuses Musk of cutting off Vivian’s health insurance after her gender transition and criticizes his public characterization of her death as a consequence of what he describes as the “woke mind virus.”
Throughout the film, Gibney draws parallels to literary and cinematic themes about power and its consequences, referencing the 1937 film “The Man Who Could Work Miracles,” itself based on an H.G. Wells story. This allegory underscores the documentary’s central question: whether Musk’s vast influence and ambition reflect visionary leadership or reckless overreach with potentially damaging effects on society and the environment.