Director Alex Gibney’s new documentary Musk explores the life and influence of billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, tracing his trajectory from early Silicon Valley ventures to his prominent political footprint in Washington, D.C. According to reporting by NPR and The Hollywood Reporter, the nearly four-hour film features interviews with former business associates, family members, and journalists to examine Musk’s controversial career, business practices, and recent policy initiatives.
Documentary Scope and Structure
Clocking in at three hours and 45 minutes—which includes a 10-minute intermission—Musk debuted at the Venice Film Festival, according to NPR. Director Alex Gibney told reporters at the festival that he initially set out in 2023 to make a focused look at the tech titan, but expanded the project after Musk campaigned for Donald Trump and subsequently joined the federal government’s cost-cutting effort known as DOGE.
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2097747100473970711
The film examines Musk’s foundational goals, showing archival footage of a younger Musk on television outlining three main objectives: developing the internet, transitioning the economy to sustainable energy, and exploring space. Alongside these goals, the documentary investigates numerous bitter feuds, contradictions, and controversies surrounding Musk’s business empire.
According to NPR, the documentary features interviews with a broad spectrum of figures from Musk’s past and present, including:
- Errol Musk, who discusses his son being bullied as a child.
- Justine Musk, the billionaire’s first wife.
- Martin Eberhard, co-founder of Tesla.
- Prying journalists and former business associates.
The Tesla Founding Controversy
A central segment of the documentary revisits the early days of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla. According to NPR, Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard recalls a dinner with Musk in the early 2000s when Musk became an investor in the company. Eberhard remembers Musk telling him, “One thing that nobody can take away from you is that you’re the founder of Tesla.”
Eberhard noted that the remark left a lasting impression because Musk later claimed sole credit for Tesla’s success and designated himself its exclusive founder. That dispute sparked litigation and an eventual settlement that officially recognized Eberhard, Musk, and three others as co-founders of Tesla Motors. Gibney points to these early disputes as evidence of a pattern of behavior regarding how Musk manages his public narrative and business relationships.
Feuds and Legal Friction
The documentary’s release has already prompted direct pushback from its subject. According to The Guardian, Elon Musk publicly attacked the filmmaker behind the documentary following its rollout. Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter noted that Gibney’s production team responded to legal threats from the self-described free speech absolutist by doubling down on their comprehensive accounting of the billionaire’s influence.
Gibney stated at the Venice Film Festival that the project aims to stitch together a coherent narrative out of the constant stream of news surrounding Musk’s ventures. By examining everything from commercial space exploration and satellite technology to federal spending cuts, the documentary attempts to clarify how a single individual has amassed extraordinary influence over modern politics, technology, and global culture.