Elon Musk, tech oligarchs and power: Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney's documentary tells a powerful tale

Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney wants his nearly four-hour documentary on Elon Musk to do more than examine the billionaire's extraordinary rise. He hopes Musk will spark a global conversation about who holds power in the tech world, and whether democratic institutions can reclaim it from a handful of wealthy technology leaders.

Gibney, in Toronto for the North American premiere of the documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival, said on Sunday that the film was intended to prompt audiences to question the growing influence of tech oligarchs.

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"I hope ⁠it's the beginning of the discussion for all of us, not only citizens in the United States, but citizens of the world, to ​begin to take back power from these tech oligarchs who seem to be desirous of running the world for themselves," Gibney ​said.

The filmmaker began working on Musk before US President Donald Trump's second term. The project expanded significantly after Musk became a close aide to Trump, and the documentary grew from an initial two-hour cut to nearly four hours following the billionaire's endorsement of Trump.

The film traces Musk's journey from the dotcom era to his purchase of a $1 million McLaren and his rise to become the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter, a trajectory that made him the world's richest person.

Gibney also examines the people who have been part of Musk's personal and professional life, including his father Errol Musk, former Tesla CEO Martin Eberhard and Ashley St. Clair, Musk's former partner and the mother of one of his many children.

"This is really a film ​about how absolute ​power corrupts. Or perhaps how power reveals one's character. There's a question as to whether ⁠or not Musk was always going to go in this direction or ​whether the power corrupted him," Gibney said.

Musk rejects the film

Musk has attacked the documentary on X, calling Musk a "false film" and threatening to sue Gibney. The filmmaker said the production team had subjected the documentary to rigorous fact-checking and legal review.

Musk, reached through SpaceX, did not respond to a request for comment.

Gibney, whose earlier documentaries have explored the collapse of energy company Enron and Scientology, said the film also reflects his broader concerns about the growing political power of technology executives.

He described tech CEOs as becoming villains in an "ultimate pay-to-play presidency," while disregarding federal regulations and accumulating influence that weakens democratic oversight.

"The challenge of the film ‌was to show the breadth of Musk's power in the government and the unaccountability and aimlessness of that power," Gibney said. "That to me was the most concerning."

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A simulated Musk takes aim

Musk declined Gibney's request for an interview for the documentary, the filmmaker said. In his absence, the film features a simulated interview with a digital version of Musk, wearing a leather jacket, with slicked-back hair and seated in a leather chair inside a futuristic room lit in red and blue.

The character's script draws on a database of Musk's public statements and comments.

In other sequences, the simulation shifts into a first-person shooter video game. Musk's digital character fires Twitter employees after his acquisition of the social media platform and depicts federal layoffs carried out by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, during the early days of the Trump administration.

The sequences include cuts involving regulators that were overseeing Musk's companies.

Gibney said the documentary's central concern was not simply the scale of Musk's influence, but the absence of accountability surrounding it.

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and is scheduled to screen this fall.

(With inputs from Reuters)