Businessman and political activist Elon Musk is a focal point of extensive press coverage, with public attitudes towards him fluctuating at various points throughout his career.
Although his ventures have been highly influential within their separate industries starting in the s, Musk only became a public figure in the early s. He has been described as an eccentric who makes spontaneous and impactful decisions, while also often making controversial statements, contrary to other billionaires who prefer reclusiveness to protect their businesses. Musk's actions and his expressed views have made him a polarizing figure.
Musk has been described as an American oligarch due to his extensive influence over public discourse, social media, industry, politics, and government policy. In November , Musk shared a tweet with an article from a right-wing fake news website which promoted a conspiracy theory that the attack on Paul Pelosi was the result of a drunken Pelosi fighting with a male prostitute. In the wake of a mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas , on May 6, , Musk baselessly tried to cast doubt on evidence collected by journalists regarding the shooter's political beliefs.
In early June , Musk boosted a tweet promoting an antisemitic blood libel conspiracy theory about adrenochrome , frequently invoked as part of QAnon , by replying to it with a cryptic remark about an image of Mel Gibson in the tweet.
In July , Musk commented on Bronny James ' cardiac arrest, tweeting "we cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing. In November , Musk endorsed a tweet referencing an antisemitic conspiracy theory that "hordes of minorities" are infiltrating Western countries and that Jews are pushing hatred against white people.
