Inside Alex Gibney’s Four-Hour Documentary On Elon Musk And Its Growing Controversy

A nearly four-hour documentary examining Elon Musk’s rise, business empire and growing political influence has drawn significant attention after premiering at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month. Titled Musk, the film is directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney and traces Musk’s journey from the dotcom boom in Silicon Valley to his leadership of Tesla and SpaceX. It also examines his $44-billion acquisition of Twitter, which was later renamed X, and his expanding role in US politics.

Gibney began working on the documentary in 2023, initially planning a considerably shorter film. However, the project expanded as Musk became increasingly involved in US political affairs and his association with Donald Trump grew more prominent. The documentary explores how Musk accumulated influence across technology, social media and government, while questioning how an unelected businessman came to play such a significant role in public debate and political movements.

The film follows Musk’s early career, including his involvement with PayPal, before examining his rise at Tesla and SpaceX and his transformation of Twitter into X. Beyond his companies, Gibney looks at Musk’s relationship with Trump, his involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, and his political activities in the US and internationally. The filmmaker has framed the documentary as an examination of power and whether it changes people or exposes characteristics that were already present.

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Musk did not participate in the documentary after declining Gibney’s request for an interview. Instead, the filmmaker relied on interviews with people who have known or worked with Musk, along with journalists and other observers. Those featured include Musk’s father Errol Musk, Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard, his former wife Justine Musk, journalist Kara Swisher, technology reporter Zoë Schiffer and Ashley St. Clair, who has described herself as Musk’s former partner and is the mother of one of his children.

One unusual element of the film is the use of a digitally created version of Musk. Since the billionaire did not appear for an interview, Gibney’s team created a CGI avatar accompanied by an AI-generated voice, using statements Musk has previously made publicly. The device allows the documentary to stage a stylised representation of Musk while also serving as a commentary on his long-standing interest in artificial intelligence and his remarks about the possibility of humanity existing within a simulation.

The documentary has also become the subject of a legal dispute ahead of its wider release. Musk’s lawyers sent the filmmakers a formal legal notice accusing the production of defaming him, while Musk has separately criticised the documentary as false and threatened legal action against Gibney. The filmmaker has defended the project, saying it underwent extensive fact-checking and legal review. Following its Venice premiere, Musk is also screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, bringing further attention to its examination of the billionaire’s business and political influence.

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