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Musk with Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson and President-elect Donald Trump on November 16, 2024

Businessman and political activist Elon Musk is a focal point of extensive press coverage, with public attitudes towards him fluctuating at various points throughout his career.

Although his ventures have been highly influential within their separate industries starting in the 2000s, Musk only became a public figure in the early 2010s. He has been described as an eccentric who makes spontaneous and impactful decisions, while also often making controversial statements, contrary to other billionaires who prefer reclusiveness to protect their businesses. Musk's actions and his expressed views have made him a polarizing figure.[1] Biographer Ashlee Vance described people's opinions of Musk as polarized due to his "part philosopher, part troll" persona on Twitter.[2]

Musk has been described as an American oligarch due to his extensive influence over public discourse, social media, industry, politics, and government policy.[3] His influence in the second presidency of Donald Trump led some to call him the "actual president-elect", "shadow president" or "co-president".[4][5]

Conspiracy theories

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In November 2022, Musk shared a tweet with an article from a right-wing fake news website which promoted a conspiracy theory that the attack on Paul Pelosi was the result of a drunken Pelosi fighting with a male prostitute.[6][7]

In the wake of a mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, on May 6, 2023, Musk baselessly tried to cast doubt on evidence collected by journalists regarding the shooter's political beliefs.[8] Law enforcement officers said in a press conference that the shooter, Mauricio Garcia, had "neo-Nazi ideation",[9] and large Nazi tattoos on his body, including a swastika and the SS lightning bolt logo.[10][11][12] Musk doubled down on his denial of the evidence that the shooter was a white supremacist in a CNBC interview on May 16.[13]

In early June 2023, Musk boosted a tweet promoting an antisemitic blood libel conspiracy theory about adrenochrome, frequently invoked as part of QAnon, by replying to it with a cryptic remark about an image of Mel Gibson in the tweet.[14][15]

In July 2023, Musk commented on Bronny James' cardiac arrest, tweeting "we cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing."[16]

In November 2023, Musk endorsed a tweet referencing an antisemitic conspiracy theory that "hordes of minorities" are infiltrating Western countries and that Jews are pushing hatred against white people. The White House condemned Musk's endorsement of the tweet as "unacceptable".[17][18]

In late November 2023, Musk tweeted a meme promoting the widely discredited far-right Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which alleged that the Clintons and Democratic Party leaders ran a secret Satanic child sex ring in a D.C. pizzeria known as Comet Ping Pong. After a few hours, Musk deleted the tweet.[19]

Accolades

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Main article: List of awards and honors received by Elon Musk
Musk wearing a medal
Musk receiving the Order of Defence Merit from the Brazilian Armed Forces in 2022[20]

Awards for his contributions to the development of the Falcon rockets include the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics George Low Transportation Award in 2008,[21] the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Gold Space Medal in 2010,[22] and the Royal Aeronautical Society Gold Medal in 2012.[23] In 2015, he received an honorary doctorate in engineering and technology from Yale University[24] and an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Honorary Membership.[25] Musk was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2018.[26][a] In 2022, Musk was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.[28]

Time has listed Musk as one of the most influential people in the world in 2010,[29] 2013,[30] 2018,[31] and 2021.[32] Musk was selected as Time's "Person of the Year" for 2021. Then Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal wrote that, "Person of the Year is a marker of influence, and few individuals have had more influence than Musk on life on Earth, and potentially life off Earth too."[33][34]

[edit]
See also: Elon Musk filmography

Musk was a partial inspiration for the characterization of Tony Stark in the Marvel film Iron Man (2008).[35] Musk also had a cameo appearance in the film's 2010 sequel, Iron Man 2.[36] Musk has made cameos and appearances in other films such as Machete Kills (2013),[37] Why Him? (2016),[38] and Men in Black: International (2019).[39] Television series in which he has appeared include The Simpsons ("The Musk Who Fell to Earth", 2015),[40] The Big Bang Theory ("The Platonic Permutation", 2015),[41] South Park ("Members Only", 2016),[42][43] Young Sheldon ("A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac®", 2017),[44] Rick and Morty ("One Crew over the Crewcoo's Morty", 2019).[45][46] He contributed interviews to the documentaries Racing Extinction (2015) and Lo and Behold (2016).[47][48]

Musk hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL) in May 2021.[49] In August 2024 cast member Bowen Yang said that a male host who had "made multiple cast members cry" was the worst behaved host he had witnessed on SNL.[50] Cast member Chloe Fineman confirmed that the host was Musk and said that his behavior had made her cry.[51] Musk responded that his behavior was due to believing that the material was not funny.[52][53]

Controveries

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2018 cannabis incident

[edit]

In September 2018, Musk was interviewed on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, during which he appeared to smoke a joint.[54] In 2022, Musk said that he and other SpaceX employees had subsequently been required to undergo random drug tests for about a year following the incident, as required by the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 for federal contractors.[55] In a 2019 60 Minutes interview, Musk had said, "I do not smoke pot. As anybody who watched that podcast could tell, I have no idea how to smoke pot."[56]

Gaming

[edit]

In his leisure time, he plays video games including Quake, Diablo IV, Elden Ring, and Polytopia.[57][58]

In January 2025, several online influencers and game streamers claimed Musk cheated on Path of Exile 2 and Diablo IV by hiring outside services to invest hours of play into his accounts.[59] Musk initially responded by criticizing one of his accusers, the YouTuber Asmongold.[60] Musk later briefly took away Asmongold's verification on Twitter and leaked direct messages between the two of them.[61][62] Musk's ex-partner Grimes defended his accomplishments saying that she had witnessed many of his Diablo IV records.[63][64] Musk has since admitted to using account boosting services while stating that "It's impossible to beat players in Asia if you don't."[65][66]

Straight-arm gesture controversy

[edit]
Main article: Elon Musk gesture controversy

In his speech during the second inauguration of Donald Trump, Musk thumped his right hand over his heart, fingers spread wide, and then extended his right arm out, emphatically, at an upward angle, palm down and fingers together. He then repeated the gesture to the crowd behind him. As he finished the gestures, he said to the crowd, "My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured."[67][68][69] The gesture was viewed as a Nazi or Roman salute[b] by some, including politicians Yolanda Díaz, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Jerry Nadler, as well as historian of fascism Ruth Ben-Ghiat.[70][71][72] Austria's Green Party and Germany's Die Linke called for Musk to be banned from entering their respective countries, citing the salute and his support for right-wing extremism and ongoing interference in European politics.[73][74] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Musk was "falsely smeared".[75]

Musk derided the claims as being politicized,[76][77] in one post he wrote: "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired",[78] but did not explicitly deny the claims.[79] The Anti-Defamation League stated that Musk did not make a Nazi salute, but "made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm". Jared Holt from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which tracks online hate, also said that he is skeptical it was on purpose, and that it could indicate a sort of gesture of thanks to the crowd.[79][80] However, former ADL national director Abraham Foxman described the gesture as a "Heil Hitler Nazi salute".[81] In further response to the events, Musk posted a series of puns about Nazis on Twitter, which the ADL condemned as "inappropriate" and "highly offensive".[82] Various media outlets, including the Associated Press, reported that regardless of what Musk meant, his gesture was widely embraced by right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis.[79][83]

Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ In 2024, Musk's Royal Society membership was criticized by 74 members over his alleged anti-scientific behavior and promotion of misinformation, prompting debates about the society's standards on membership and leading to the resignation of Dorothy Bishop, a neuropsychologist at the University of Oxford, who cited her dissatisfaction with the Society's response.[27]
  2. ^ The "Roman salute" is a gesture which was used by Italian Fascists, then adopted by the Nazis. It is not believed to have been used by ancient Romans.

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ Ghaffary, Shirin (May 20, 2023). "Elon Musk won't stop tweeting his way into trouble". Vox. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  2. ^ Maloy, Ashley Fetters; Tiku, Nitasha (July 16, 2022). "How Elon Musk became a new kind of celebrity". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  3. ^ Oligarch...
  4. ^ Parker, Ashley; Dawsey, Josh; Scherer, Michael (November 13, 2024). "Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, becomes Donald Trump's 'first buddy'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 19, 2024. Now, during the transition, Musk has emerged somewhere between unofficial co-president and "first buddy," as he put it in an X posting — bounding in and out of meetings, sitting in on phone calls, weighing résumés and generally becoming as ubiquitous at Mar-a-Lago as the club's gilded inlay.
  5. ^ Metzger, Bryan (December 19, 2024). "Trump team makes clear Elon Musk isn't the leader of the GOP". Business Insider. Archived from the original on January 15, 2025. It came after scores of Democrats baited Trump with social media posts accusing Musk of being the actual president-elect, the "shadow president," or the "co-president."
  6. ^ Karni, Annie; Khurana, Malika; Thompson, Stuart A. (November 5, 2022). "How Republicans Fed a Misinformation Loop About the Pelosi Attack". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  7. ^ McShane, Julianne (November 1, 2022). "Elon Musk, new owner of Twitter, tweets unfounded anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi attack". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  8. ^ Sardarizadeh, Shayan; Wendling, Mike (May 9, 2023). "Why some people are spreading false rumours about the Texas gunman". BBC. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
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  20. ^ Costa, Mariana (May 20, 2022). "Musk recebe de Bolsonaro a medalha de Ordem do Mérito da Defesa" [Musk receives the Order of Defense Merit medal from Bolsonaro]. Metrópoles (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
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  22. ^ "Barron Hilton and Elon Musk honoured with the highest FAI awards". Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. December 16, 2010. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015.
  23. ^ "2012 RAeS Gold Medal". Archived from the original on November 28, 2012.
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  25. ^ "IEEE Honorary Membership Recipients" (PDF). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011.
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  27. ^ "Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  28. ^ "For breakthroughs in the design, engineering, manufacturing, and operation of reusable launch vehicles and sustainable transportation and energy systems". National Academy of Engineering. February 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
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  31. ^ Milner, Yuri. "Elon Musk". Time. Archived from the original on January 3, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  32. ^ "Elon Musk: The 100 Most Influential People of 2021". Time. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  33. ^ Flynn, Kerry (December 13, 2021). "Time Person of the Year: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, named most influential of 2021". CNN. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  34. ^ Felsenthal, Edward (December 13, 2021). "Time 2021 The choice Elon Musk". Time. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  35. ^ Langman, Brady (August 11, 2022). "You're Going to Have Feelings About Tony Stark's Biggest Real-World Inspiration". Esquire. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  36. ^ Tate, Ryan (September 20, 2012). "10 Awkward Hollywood Cameos by Tech Founders". Wired. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  37. ^ Wurzburger, Andrea (May 8, 2021). "Ahead Elon Musk's Acting Cameos Through the Years". People. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  38. ^ Bova, Dan (December 21, 2016). "'Why Him?' Director on Elon Musk's Amazing 'I Can't Come to Work Today' Excuse". Entrepreneur. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  39. ^ Alexander, Bryan (June 17, 2019). "Which celebrities are revealed as space aliens in 'Men in Black: International'? (spoilers)". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  40. ^ Cain, Sian (April 26, 2022). "From The Simpsons to Iron Man: Elon Musk's Twitter takeover is just his latest desperate bid for celebrity". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  41. ^ "Tesla CEO Elon Musk To Appear on Upcoming Episode of the Big Bang Theory". CBS. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  42. ^ Hansen, Louis (November 25, 2016). "Elon Musk uses 'South Park' to fire back at trolls". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  43. ^ Kurp, Josh (November 18, 2016). "Elon Musk Joins The Short List Of 'South Park' Guest Stars To Voice Themselves". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  44. ^ "The Young Sheldon Episode You Likely Forgot Starred Elon Musk". MSN. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  45. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (November 25, 2019). "Elon Musk's Rick and Morty Cameo Finally Explains His 'Elon Tusk' Twitter Joke". IGN. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
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  47. ^ Field, Kyle (December 2, 2015). "Tesla Stars In 'Racing Extinction' Documentary". CleanTechnica. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
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  49. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (May 9, 2021). "Elon Musk Hosts a Mother's Day Episode of 'Saturday Night Live'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  50. ^ Zack, Sharf (August 13, 2024). "Bowen Yang Reveals a Male 'SNL' Host 'Made Multiple Cast Members Cry Because He Hated the Ideas' at the Table Read: It Was 'Terrible'". variety.com. Variety. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
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