Alex Gibney’s new documentary Musk, opening nationwide Friday, portrays the Tesla and SpaceX CEO as a master of self-promotion whose mythology supports his companies’ stock prices. Musk did not sit for an interview; Gibney instead built a simulated Elon from archival audio and public statements, a choice that plays on Musk’s own comments about living in a simulation.
Gibney told WIRED that only Errol Musk, Elon’s father, agreed to appear immediately. Other associates, including Justine Musk, Ashley St. Claire, Kara Swisher, Reid Hoffman, and WIRED’s Katie Drummond, took persuasion because “the risk profile for talking about Musk in a way that was honest was high.” The film runs nearly four hours with an intermission.
Gibney deliberately made the avatar flattering—chiseled, tan, in a leather jacket—rather than using unflattering images, saying he wanted his “star” to look good and avoid “slop AI territory.” He also selected Musk’s strongest rejoinders from the archive, though later statements become more fantastical. This account comes solely from Gibney’s interview with WIRED; no independent sourcing is included in the article.