This is the trailer for the Elon Musk documentary social networks don’t want you to watch
Our fascination with the world's richest man continues, and not just because of Elon Musk's bank balance. Having come a long way from founding Zip2 as a web software company with his brother in 1995, Mr. Musk has branched out into everything from electric vehicles to exploring the cosmos, from being a social media overlord to a brief stint in politics.
Alongside all of this, Elon Musk's personal life has become equally as fascinating, having fathered 14 children by four different women, and trying to keep his private life private despite constantly being in the news.
This is where Alex Gibney's Musk comes into the frame, with the film promising to tell a different side of the story...if social media platforms will allow it.
What does the full Musk trailer reveal?
The 144-second trailer for Musk starts with the man himself musing that we're all living in a simulation, jumping into him at a Trump rally as he's branded the 'greatest capitalist in history'.
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Running through Gibney's impressive CV, he narrates why he decided to make the tech mogul the subject of his next movie.
Screenshots show an online spat between Gibney and Musk, with the latter calling it a hit piece, while detractors air their concerns about Musk's many claims in the world of tech.
Reviews refer to it as "a lacerating portrait of power and delusion," as well as saying the documentary has "the fear factor of a conspiracy thriller."
The trailer covers SpaceX crashes, reported deaths related to Tesla vehicles, and fears about DOGE being a conflict of interest, as well as claims that Musk is 'lying' about what he can accomplish.
There are numerous talking heads, including former MAGA supporter and the mother of Musk's son, Ashley St. Clair. St. Clair has never been afraid of making her feelings about Musk clear, and it looks to be much the same as she spills the beans on their time together.
Why is the Musk trailer being censored?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, major platforms including TikTok, Meta, and YouTube have turned their back on Musk ahead of its October 9 release. Given that St. Clair has made some explosive claims about election rigging from Musk, it's no surprise that some of his tech rivals are wary of rattling his cage by promoting ad space for this potentially scandalous takedown.
The outlet adds that the Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter) is obviously refusing to run ads for the 225-minute documentary.
Reps from production company Bleecker Street say 'political content' was cited as a reason for not running ads, with TikTok and Meta specifically not allowing campaign or political ads in their terms and conditions.
For Facebook, we're reminded this is largely due to the 2016 election's Cambridge Analytica scandal.
As for YouTube, the platform allows campaign ads as long as they have a 'paid for' disclosure from vetted candidates.
Still, THR states that the trailer only appears to contain a shot of a 2024 political rally and a reference to the 2024 election toward the end. It writes that these are the "kind of flicks that occur in numerous documentaries and are hardly meant to stump for a particular candidate in an upcoming race."
There might be more to the story, as an update from TechCrunch suggests Meta and TikTok will promote Musk. This comes as a Meta spokesperson reiterated: "This was an error and the ads are being restored."
An update from YouTube says that "the trailer has always been available on YouTube," and added: "When submitted as an ad, it was temporarily restricted by our system. Following review the ad has been cleared to run.”
There are questions about Universal Pictures' commitment to distribute Musk internationally amid rumored fears of angering the Trump administration. It's said that Universal will still release Gibney's controversial film in the theaters, although an exact release strategy remains unclear.