Elon Musk launched a blistering public attack on filmmaker Alex Gibney this week, calling the director a 'bitter old man' with 'zero integrity' in a series of posts on X.
Gibney's four-hour documentary about the Tesla and SpaceX chief premiered at the Venice film festival, where the director said he believed the world's richest man was 'extremely dangerous.' Musk's response came after the film's screening and was posted on his social media platform.
Accusations and response
In his posts, Musk accused Gibney of lacking integrity and struck a sharply personal tone. The comments echo a pattern of high-profile figures responding directly to critical coverage on social media, though Musk's remarks were notable for their directness and the language used.
Film background
Alex Gibney is an Oscar-winning documentarian whose previous work includes films on the collapse of Enron, WikiLeaks and Vladimir Putin. The new documentary runs approximately four hours and examines Musk's life and influence, prompting debate about the tech executive's public role and the impact of his companies.
The exchange between Musk and Gibney adds a highly visible moment to the ongoing public conversation around the film and its subject. Organisers at Venice and the filmmakers have not released further statements responding to Musk's posts, and Gibney's public comments at the festival focused on his concerns about Musk's influence rather than the director's own reception.
The confrontation underscores the fraught relationship between prominent public figures and documentary filmmakers when contentious subjects are brought to major international festivals, where premieres often trigger intense media and public scrutiny.