Director Alex Gibney premiered a three-hour and 45-minute documentary titled *Musk* at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. The film, which opens in theaters on October 16, examines the career of Elon Musk, focusing on his leadership at Tesla and SpaceX, his acquisition of the social media platform X, and his role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The documentary features interviews with former business associates and former romantic partners who provide testimony regarding Musk's business practices and personal conduct.
The project began in 2023 as a shorter work but was expanded after Musk became an advisor to Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign and joined the federal government to implement cost-cutting initiatives. Gibney used an AI-generated avatar of Musk to speak words attributed to him from podcasts and speeches after Musk declined to be interviewed for the film. The production also includes testimony from Ashley St. Clair, a former romantic partner, and Martin Eberhard, a co-founder of Tesla who previously settled a lawsuit with Musk over his status as a founder.
Following the premiere, Elon Musk posted several statements on X criticizing the filmmaker, calling Gibney a "bitter old man" and labeling the film a "hit piece." Musk's legal representatives sent a letter to the production company alleging that Gibney refused to fact-check the film with their team and accusing the filmmaker of defamation. Musk also specifically denied St. Clair’s claim in the film that he offered her $40 million to sign a non-disclosure agreement, stating she was never offered that money.
The documentary also highlights safety and legal precedents involving Tesla’s driving software. While Musk has publicly promoted Tesla’s self-driving technology, the film notes that 65 deaths have been linked to crashes involving the software, according to public databases tracking National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports. A company engineer testified in a deposition cited in the film that a 2016 promotional video showing autonomous driving was staged and that the vehicle crashed during filming. For Tesla owners and drivers sharing the road with these vehicles, these findings address the ongoing debate regarding the reliability of autonomous systems and the level of driver attention required.
In the political and media landscape, the film sets a precedent for how filmmakers address high-profile subjects who refuse to participate, specifically through the use of AI avatars. The public and election officials are also mentioned as affected groups; the documentary discusses a disproven narrative regarding SpaceX's Starlink satellites and the 2024 vote count, which Musk's lawyers cited as a point of contention in their defamation claim. What happens next depends on potential legal filings, as Musk's legal team has threatened to sue for defamation, and the film is scheduled for its wide theatrical release on October 16, 2026.