# Musk threatens to sue over a documentary about himself

> Elon Musk called Alex Gibney's four hour film a hit piece, then sent a lawyer's letter before anyone had seen it.
- Title: Musk threatens to sue over a documentary about himself
- Summary: Elon Musk called Alex Gibney's four hour film a hit piece, then sent a lawyer's letter before anyone had seen it. Threatening a filmmaker before the premiere…
- Keywords: elon musk, documentaries, defamation, free speech, media, science, technology, Musk, threatens, sue, documentary, himself
- Source: Futurism — https://futurism.com/future-society/elon-musk-documentary-legal-action
- Author: Frank Landymore
- Published: 2026-09-11T15:45:15+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: elon musk, documentaries, defamation, free speech, media, science, technology
## A legal threat before the premiere
Musk is threatening to sue Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney over a new documentary about him, which Musk keeps calling a hit piece.
## Four hours, not a tribute
The film, titled "Musk," runs four hours and covers his South African childhood, his dot-com start, and his move into politics. It is critical, and that is the problem.
## The defamation claim
Musk's lawyer Alex Spiro wrote to Gibney's Jigsaw Productions alleging the film falsely suggests Musk rigged the 2024 election for Trump. Musk did spend nearly $300 million backing the campaign.

> You are therefore on notice, before release, that the insinuation is false
## The scene at issue
Ashley St. Clair, who had a child with Musk and later fell out with him, describes texts where he says he is optimistic about Trump winning. NPR says it authenticated them.

> tomorrow we unleash the anomaly in the matrix
## An old grudge
Musk called the film a hit piece back in 2023, when almost nothing about it was public. Gibney's reply: "How would you know?" Musk posted at least five attacks as the Venice premiere approached.

> He's a douchebag to his core and, in his own words, incredibly biased against me.
## The suit probably goes nowhere
US defamation law is famously hard to win. St. Clair called the threats a joke, and the attention now guarantees more people hear about the film.

> They are more likely to colonize Mars than win a defamation case against Alex Gibney
## Key takeaway

Threatening a filmmaker before the premiere is the loudest possible way to draw attention to the film you want buried.