Elon Musk has become an unexpected focal point at this year’s Venice Film Festival, where a new documentary by director Alex Gibney is generating significant attention. The nearly four-hour film, titled *Musk*, offers a wide-ranging examination of the tech entrepreneur’s career, influence, and controversies.
Since its announcement in early 2023, the documentary has sparked responses from Musk himself, who criticized it on his social media platform, X, calling it a “hit piece” without having seen it and dismissing Gibney with derogatory remarks. Gibney, known for tackling contentious subjects such as Scientology, clerical abuse, and Russian oligarchs, has remained unfazed, positioning the film as a serious inquiry into the effects of concentrated wealth and power.
*Musk* traces the entrepreneur’s ascent from a computer enthusiast to a leading figure in technology and space exploration, showcasing his ambitions to colonize Mars and revolutionize electric vehicles. However, the film also highlights challenges and criticisms, particularly regarding Musk’s claims about self-driving car technology. Dashcam footage and photographs of accidents involving Tesla vehicles operating on autopilot contrast sharply with his assertion that the technology is “essentially a solved problem.” The death of Naibel Benavides in 2019, following a fatal crash linked to Tesla’s autopilot, is documented in detail.
Since Musk declined to participate directly, the film employs an artificial intelligence-generated avatar of Musk, combining historical quotes with scenes of the real Musk, which serves as a narrative device but does not replace firsthand commentary. Instead, voices from those close to Musk feature prominently. Justine Musk, his first wife, offers candid reflections on their early years together and disputes Musk’s account of holding their deceased son. Archival footage includes appearances by his second wife, Talulah Riley, and musician Grimes, mother to three of his children. Ashley St Clair, mother to another child, provides testimony concerning Musk’s use of surrogates and fertility practices, characterizing his approach in vivid terms.
The documentary also addresses Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter, illustrating the upheaval within the company through video game-style imagery that tracks mass layoffs and internal disruptions. Former employees recount the turmoil under Musk’s leadership, while the film expands on his entanglement in political discourse—his declared opposition to what he terms the “woke mind virus,” his alignment with former President Donald Trump, and his support for far-right groups such as Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland, which publicly acknowledged Musk after electoral successes in the region.
One notable allegation raised involves the potential risk of electoral interference connected to Musk's control over sensitive voter data via Twitter’s Doge team and the capacity of his Starlink satellite network. Observers have cautioned regarding the impact during the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.
The film further critiques Musk’s impact on government operations, highlighting his involvement in significant cuts to USAID funding, which the documentary estimates could result in the deaths of approximately 14 million people worldwide, including 4.5 million children under the age of five. This aspect underlines concerns about the broader human consequences of Musk’s decisions and political influence.
Gibney’s presentation, described as exhaustive and at times exhausting, serves as a cautionary tale about the unchecked power wielded by individuals like Musk. Reflecting on the current media environment marked by rapid social media consumption and continuous news cycles, the director said the film aims to reveal the larger systemic picture, warning that “the forest is already burning.”
Musk remains scheduled for release in U.S. cinemas in October through independent distributor Bleecker Street. Meanwhile, voices such as Ashley St Clair’s emphasize the urgency in addressing the divisions and potential risks associated with Musk’s influence, underscoring the debate over how his actions should be regulated or managed going forward.