Elon Musk is threatening legal action against filmmaker Alex Gibney over a nearly four-hour documentary titled "Musk," which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Musk's attorney, Alex Spiro, sent a legal letter asserting the film is a "hit piece" that relies on individuals with personal grudges against the billionaire, rather than an objective pursuit of truth.
Spiro's letter claims the documentary features "witnesses" with known grievances, including an estranged parent, a former friend who publicly broke with Musk, and a former partner involved in a custody and support dispute. Musk's estrangement from his father, Errol Musk, is documented, as is his public falling out with conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair, who is the mother of his youngest child.
Musk's legal team alleges that they attempted multiple times to correct what they anticipated would be inaccuracies in the film but claims those involved in the documentary refused to engage. "While we are ardent supporters of the First Amendment, and respect the reporting process, it has become abundantly clear that the motivations behind this piece are not the pursuit of truth, but something far different," Spiro wrote in the letter. He added, "This project did not begin as an inquiry. It began with a conclusion."
Musk himself took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to criticize Gibney, calling him a "horrible human" with "ZERO integrity." He stated that the film "misses" and is "boring for 4 hours."
Gibney, an Oscar and Emmy-winning director, began working on the documentary in 2023. The film examines Musk's rise to influence and explores how the tech titan wields significant power over public debate and politics. Ahead of the film's screening, Gibney told Reuters that many individuals were hesitant to speak publicly about Musk due to an "almost existential fear," with some people who had firsthand knowledge declining to be interviewed.
Musk's attorney indicated that they have reserved all rights and that their "door is open if you decide to check your facts with the people who know them. If not, we will proceed accordingly."