Elon Musk is considering legal action against documentarian Alex Gibney regarding a new film focused on him, claiming the movie suggests he’s influencing the 2024 election to benefit Donald Trump, which he believes is defamatory.
Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, expressed strong disapproval of the film in a letter addressed to the production company behind it.
Spiro highlighted aspects of the film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, pointing out that it implies Musk deployed his Starlink satellites to sway the election in favor of Trump.
In his letter, Spiro stated, “You are… on notice, before release, that the insinuation is false, that the material refuting it is public, and that you chose not to be told the rest.”
He referred to comments made by Musk’s ex-partner, Ashley St. Clair, in the documentary, where she claims Musk had mentioned unleashing the “anomaly in the matrix” before the election.
St. Clair continued by saying he claimed, “I have ten thousand lasers in space.” When asked if she connected this to Starlink, she replied, “I mean, I don’t know where else he has space lasers.”
Spiro’s letter argued these quotes create a superficial framing that suggests Musk interfered in the election, which, according to him, constitutes an unfounded serious allegation.
He wrote, “Starlink was not connected to vote tabulation. Election officials in multiple states, independent cybersecurity researchers, and fact-checkers publicly refuted the Starlink vote-rigging claim in November 2024, and nothing since has revived it.”
He further explained, “Starlink’s satellites communicate by laser inter-satellite link; that is what ‘lasers in space’ describes.”
Spiro emphasized that they had attempted to provide factual information but were rebuffed. He concluded by reiterating that the insinuation in the film is false and that they’ve made public materials countering it.
The nearly four-hour documentary, “Musk,” which aims to give an “unvarnished examination” of the renowned CEO, received a standing ovation during its Venice premiere and is slated for theatrical release in October.
Spiro hinted at a potential bias from Gibney, noting that when Musk previously called the film a “hit piece,” Gibney had responded, “How would you know?”
He also pointed out Gibney’s own admission to not holding a neutral stance, quoting the director’s past remarks about the folly of objectivity and his belief that those in power are more likely to deceive.
The Post has reached out to Gibney for a response.
