Elon Musk’s former partners share troubling accounts in new four hour documentary

Director Alex Gibney spent four years making the film, which opens in cinemas on October 16

Elon Musk’s former romantic partners offer personal accounts of their relationships with the billionaire in Musk, a four hour documentary directed by Alex Gibney that examines his private life, business career and influence on American society.

The film, which screens at the MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL before its nationwide theatrical release on October 16, draws on interviews with people who have known or worked with Musk. According to SFGATE, among its most compelling contributors are Justine Musk, his former wife, and Ashley St Clair, who has publicly said she has a child with him.

Justine, the mother of Musk’s first five children, discusses their relationship and describes experiences she says shaped her understanding of emotional manipulation. She also addresses the death of their first child and Musk’s treatment of their transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson.

St Clair, a conservative influencer, shares details of her early communications with Musk, including personal messages displayed in the documentary. The film examines their relationship and her decision to speak publicly. She reportedly declined a $40m nondisclosure agreement, although the circumstances and terms surrounding that reported offer have not been independently established here.

Musk did not participate in the documentary. Gibney instead uses archival footage and an artificial intelligence generated avatar designed to represent the technology executive.

The director spent four years developing the project. It follows Musk’s career from early ventures such as Zip2 and X.com to SpaceX, Tesla, Starlink, X and xAI. Contributors include LinkedIn co founder Reid Hoffman, neuroscientist Sam Harris and journalists Kara Swisher and Zoë Schiffer.

The documentary takes a critical view of Musk’s business record and political influence, questioning his public image and examining his companies’ relationships with government funding and regulation. These assessments represent the film’s arguments rather than undisputed findings.

Musk has threatened legal action over the documentary, according to SFGATE, but the publication reported that no defamation lawsuit had been filed at the time of its review.

The film presents a sweeping portrait of a figure whose business decisions and public interventions continue to attract intense scrutiny.