Elon Musk responded to the debut of Alex Gibney’s four-hour documentary “Musk,” which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival this week, by slamming it as a “hit piece” and threatening legal action over claims that he used his Starlink satellites to influence the 2024 presidential election.
In the letter, addressed to Adam Mellion of Jigsaw Productions and dated Sept. 3, Spiro says they tried to contact him “multiple times” and “requested an opportunity to present the facts in the normal fact-checking process that is the hallmark of ethical journalism. You have refused to engage.”
The letter continues: “While we are ardent supporters of the First Amendment, and respect the reporting process, it has become abundantly clear that the motivations behind this piece are not the pursuit of truth, but something far different. This project did not begin as an inquiry. It began with a conclusion.”
“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,” Spiro 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,” Spiro said in the letter, which was first reported by THR. “Defamation does not require an express accusation.”
The letter alleges that the film hinges on “the accounts of witnesses with acknowledged personal grievances against Mr. Musk” and that “nothing in the available reporting indicates that their consequential claims were independently corroborated,” adding that “the people in a position to contradict them were neither unknown nor unavailable. They came to you and asked to be heard, and you refused them, as you refused us. That is not a gap in the reporting. It is a conscious decision to disregard the truth.”
The letter says litigation is “reasonably anticipated.”
“We therefore have no choice but to put you on formal legal notice regarding your upcoming ‘piece’ and to reserve all rights. That notice runs to everyone who participates in publishing this film — Mr. Gibney, Jigsaw, HBO, Bleecker Street, Universal, and every other financier, producer, and distributor — as of today. Any decision to release, republish, or promote this material with knowledge of the facts set out above will be assessed accordingly.”
Jigsaw Productions issued a statement to THR in response to the letter:
“Alex Gibney’s films are consistently recognized for their in-depth, fact-driven explorations of influential figures and corporations, coupled with his bold and engaging directorial style. This approach has garnered him international praise, an Academy Award among other accolades, and a reputation that The Times of London recently lauded as the ‘gold standard for fearless journalistic integrity.’ The right to engage in open debate and fact-based examinations of powerful public figures is protected by the first amendment — something that should be recognized and defended by all Americans, including the associates of Elon Musk, who has proclaimed himself to be a ‘free speech absolutist.’”
Musk himself took to X over the last several days to slam the movie himself.
“Gibney deliberately set out to make a hit piece and lacks any integrity whatsoever,” Musk said on X.
In another reply on the social media platform, he again said the documentary filmmaker has “zero integrity” and added “his movies are boring af.”
The documentary “Musk” is due to be released by Bleecker Street in the U.S. on Oct. 16.
