Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary goes for the jugular in these 3 scenes

Primary Journalistic Dispatch & Direct Reporting

In an era when documentaries about famous people can be as light and sweet as the snacks you eat while watching them, Alex Gibney is going against the grain. His new documentary, "Musk," which premiered at Venice Film Festival on Sept. 8, proves there's still room for hard-hitting investigative docs in Hollywood - as long as you're willing to sit through its nearly four-hour runtime.

From tackling Scientology in "Going Clear" to Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes in "The Inventor," Gibney has never backed away from a thorny topic. With "Musk," the Oscar-winning filmmaker pulls no punches, painting a thorough portrait of the man who turned companies like Tesla and SpaceX into household names.

The doc, which traces Musk's life from 20-something Silicon Valley start-up entrepreneur to becoming President Donald Trump's right-hand man during his second term, has ignited the ire of its subject since it was announced in 2023. At the time, Musk called the film a "hit piece" on X, to which Gibney responded, "How would you know?" The two have been locked in an online battle ever since.

In-Depth Developments & Factual Context

Although Musk did not sit down for an interview for "Musk," that didn't stop Gibney from getting his subject on camera - sort of.

Thanks to the ingenuity of Gibney's team and the magic of AI, the documentary features a Musk avatar who's been trained on all available interviews the mogul has given. Avatar-Musk shows up throughout to comment on everything from why he believes we're all living in a simulation to his obsession with going to Mars.

It's a cheeky deployment of emerging technology at the CEO's expense. But it's not the only segment that paints Musk in an unflattering light.

Industry Impact & Strategic Analysis

Business Insider screened "Musk" the day it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Here are three times Gibney goes after Musk hard.

Business Insider reached out to Musk for comment on the documentary, but did not receive a response.

The documentary delves into how Musk got involved in Tesla and turned it into a cash cow once the company went public. It also explores the darker side of Tesla's Autopilot, a self-driving feature that has been at the center of several lawsuits .

Forward Outlook & Market Perspective

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In the doc, Gibney contrasts a 2016 video released by Tesla that depicts the vehicle as fully self-driving with dash-cam footage from a deadly 2019 crash in which a car using Tesla's Autopilot feature killed one and seriously injured another in Key Largo, Florida.

After a Russian hacker was able to retrieve key crash data Tesla had said it could not access ( yes, really ), a jury ruled that Tesla was partially liable for the crash and responsible for $243 million in punitive and compensatory damages. Tesla is appealing.

Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via Google News US Entertainment.