Documentaries on Elon Musk and Elizabeth Holmes Spark Legal Threats and Festival Acclaim
Alex Gibney's documentary "Musk" received a standing ovation at Venice, while a film about Elizabeth Holmes premiered at Telluride; Musk's lawyer has warned of a lawsuit over alleged factual inaccuracies.
A documentary about Elon Musk titled "Musk" premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it was met with a five-minute standing ovation and strong audience reaction. The nearly four-hour film, directed by Alex Gibney, traces Musk’s rise from the dot-com era to his status as the world’s first trillionaire and examines concerns about his influence and decision-making.
Musk has responded on his social-media platform X with a series of posts criticizing the filmmaker, calling him a “horrible human” and a “bitter old man,” and suggesting the documentary is a “psy-op.” His attorney, Alex Spiro, sent a cease-and-desist-style letter to Jigsaw Productions, alleging that the film falsely claims Musk used Starlink satellites to influence the 2024 election and that the production refused to engage in a fact-checking process.
"You are … on notice, before release, that the insinuation is false, that the material refuting it is public, and that you chose not to be told the rest," Spiro wrote.
Gibney said Musk declined to be interviewed, leading the filmmakers to create a digital avatar using archival footage and public statements. The documentary also explores Musk’s alleged access to surveillance data during a 2025 government initiative and includes commentary from AI researcher Geoffrey Hinton.
"It’s fairly clear to me that Trump is hell-bent on corrupting the midterm elections," Hinton said in the film.
The film is scheduled for a U.S. theatrical release on Oct. 16, followed by streaming on HBO Max.
At the Telluride Film Festival, the documentary "You Can See Everything," produced by A24, debuted with unprecedented access to former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes during the weeks before she began a 10-year-plus prison sentence. Holmes discusses her past, her conviction, and plans for a potential biotech venture from prison. Audiences noted her willingness to speak openly with the filmmakers.
Both documentaries are set for theatrical releases on Oct. 16 and have generated significant discussion about the responsibilities of powerful tech figures and the role of documentary filmmaking in public accountability.