Documentary on Elon Musk Examines Early Successes and Controversial Actions

Alex Gibney's documentary "Musk," which debuted at the Venice Film Festival and will open in U.S. theaters on Oct. 16, offers a chronological look at Elon Musk’s career and the controversies surrounding his businesses. The first half of the film focuses on Musk’s early ventures, including the sale of Zip2 for more than $20 million and his brief tenure as PayPal CEO before founding SpaceX. By 2010, SpaceX had achieved a milestone launch that placed Musk among a small group of entities capable of orbital missions.

The documentary also details Musk’s involvement with Tesla, noting a lawsuit in which he settled on the condition that he could be credited as a co-founder despite joining months after the company’s incorporation. It cites internal testimony that Tesla promoted autonomous-driving capabilities before the technology was fully validated, raising questions about the accuracy of its marketing.

Later sections examine Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, his prolific posting habits, and efforts to prioritize his own content on the platform’s algorithm. The film includes remarks from former associates, such as podcaster Sam Harris, who recount a bet Musk made about COVID-19 case numbers that was later disproved.

Personal accounts are also featured. Former wife Justine Musk describes a pattern of controlling behavior during their marriage, while conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair discusses her two-year relationship with Musk, the birth of their son, and subsequent disputes over child-support payments.

"Could it be," the narration asks, "that the world’s richest man was also its most flamboyant fraud?"

Overall, the documentary presents a mixed portrait of Musk, juxtaposing his technological achievements with legal challenges, public controversies and personal conduct that have attracted scrutiny.