People were too frightened to speak about Elon Musk, says documentary director

Director Alex Gibney has revealed that many people were too frightened to speak publicly about Elon Musk, ​as he unveiled his marathon documentary about the billionaire entrepreneur at the Venice Film Festival.

The nearly four-hour movie charts ‌Musk's rise from the dotcom era to become one of the world's most influential figures, questioning how an unelected tech titan came to wield such sway over politics and public debate.

"There was a tremendous sense of fear of talking, really almost existential fear, both among people who were his ​critics, people who were his business colleagues and people who are his friends," Gibney said ahead of the screening of "Musk".

"I ​talked to many, many, many, many people who, except for some of the brave people who ⁠are here, declined to speak."

The Tesla and SpaceX chief has dismissed the film, writing on his social media platform X this ​month that Gibney was biased and was "obviously going to make the most convincingly terrible hit piece on me that he can possibly ​think of".

Joined by journalist Zoë Schiffer and Ashley St. Clair, Musk's former partner and the mother of one of his many children, Gibney said he began work on the project in 2023 and had originally planned a less ambitious movie.

"Musk" is ​being shown out of competition at the Venice festival, which runs until September 12.