Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Elon Musk

A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Elon Musk.

Elon Musk is a prominent businessman and entrepreneur, recognized globally for his leadership roles in companies like Tesla, SpaceX, X, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He has held the position of the world's wealthiest individual since 2021, with Forbes estimating his net worth at US$424.7 billion as of May 2025.

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Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2018: SEC Sues Musk Over Tesla Tweet

In 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Elon Musk for a tweet about taking Tesla private, alleging securities fraud and seeking to bar him from serving as CEO of publicly traded companies.

2019: Musk's Tweet About Tesla Production Leads to SEC Contempt

In 2019, Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla would build half a million cars that year, prompting the SEC to seek a contempt order for violating the 2018 settlement agreement.

January 2020: Tesla Directors Settle SolarCity Lawsuit

In January 2020, Tesla directors settled a lawsuit related to the SolarCity acquisition, leaving Elon Musk as the sole remaining defendant.

May 2020: Resignation as Tesla Chairman

In May 2020, Elon Musk resigned as chairman of the board of Tesla as part of a settlement with the SEC, which stemmed from a lawsuit regarding his tweets about securing funding to take Tesla private.

2020: Lawsuit over Tesla Stock Tweet Blocked

In 2020, a judge blocked a lawsuit claiming that Elon Musk's tweet regarding Tesla's stock price ("too high imo") violated the agreement with the SEC.

2020: Hunter Biden Laptop Controversy

In late 2022, Elon Musk released internal documents relating to Twitter's moderation of the Hunter Biden laptop controversy in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.

2021: Musk Allegedly Has Affair with Nicole Shanahan

In 2021, Elon Musk allegedly had an affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, which led to their divorce the following year. This was reported in July 2022.

2021: Controversy Over Musk Foundation Donations

In 2021, following a challenge from the World Food Programme director David Beasley, Elon Musk donated $6 billion to his own foundation instead of contributing to ending world hunger, despite Beasley's plan showing that the money could feed 42 million people for a year. This led to criticism over the foundation's donation practices.

July 2022: Report of Musk's Alleged Affair with Nicole Shanahan

In July 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk allegedly had an affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, in 2021, leading to their divorce the following year.

December 2022: Banning of ElonJet Account on Twitter

In December 2022, Elon Musk banned the ElonJet account on Twitter, which tracked his flight usage. Temporary bans were also placed on the accounts of journalists who posted stories regarding the incident.

2022: Federal Probe Launched into Neuralink Animal Welfare

In 2022, a federal probe was launched into possible animal welfare violations by Neuralink.

2022: Musk's Acquisition and Changes at Twitter

In 2022, immediately after acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk fired several top executives including CEO Parag Agrawal and became the CEO himself. He instituted monthly subscriptions for a "blue check", laid off a significant portion of the staff, and lessened content moderation, leading to an increase in hate speech on the platform.

October 2023: Grimes Sues Musk Over Parental Rights

In October 2023, Grimes sued Elon Musk over parental rights and custody of their child X Æ A-Xii.

October 2023: SEC Sues Musk Over Twitter Stock Investigation

In October 2023, the SEC sued Elon Musk for refusing to testify a third time in an investigation related to his purchase of Twitter stock in 2022.

2023: Starlink and the War in Ukraine

In 2023, Elon Musk denied Ukraine's request to activate Starlink over Crimea to aid an attack against the Russian navy, citing fears of a nuclear response, even though Musk provided free Starlink service to Ukraine at a cost of $400 million to SpaceX.

2023: Scrutiny and Criticism of International Political Actions

Since 2023, Elon Musk's international political actions and comments have come under increasing scrutiny and criticism, especially from the governments and leaders of France, Germany, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom, particularly due to his position in the U.S. government as well as ownership of X.

January 2024: Musk's Tesla Pay Package Rescinded

In January 2024, a Delaware judge ruled in a 2018 lawsuit that Elon Musk's $55 billion pay package from Tesla be rescinded, calling it an "unfathomable sum" unfair to shareholders.

January 2024: Reports of Musk's Drug Use Surface

Since January 2024, media outlets have reported that Elon Musk allegedly uses ketamine, marijuana, LSD, ecstasy, mushrooms, cocaine, and other drugs.

February 2024: Judge Orders Musk to Testify in Twitter Stock Investigation

In February 2024, Judge Laurel Beeler ruled that Elon Musk must testify again in the SEC's investigation into his purchase of Twitter stock in 2022.

2024: Musk Criticizes Assassin's Creed Shadows

In 2024, Elon Musk criticized the video game Assassin's Creed Shadows and its creator Ubisoft for including "woke" content.

2024: Support for Far-Right Political Parties and Causes

In 2024, Elon Musk started supporting international far-right political parties, activists, and causes, and has shared far-right misinformation and numerous conspiracy theories. Since 2024, his views have been generally described as right-wing.

January 2025: SEC Sues Musk for Securities Violations Related to Twitter Purchase

In January 2025, the SEC filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk for securities violations connected to his purchase of Twitter stock in 2022.

February 14, 2025: St. Clair Claims Musk Fathered Her Son

On February 14, 2025, Ashley St. Clair, an influencer and author, posted on X claiming to have given birth to Elon Musk's son Romulus five months earlier.

February 22, 2025: St. Clair Files for Sole Custody

On February 22, 2025, it was reported that Ashley St Clair had filed for sole custody of her five-month-old son and for Elon Musk to be recognized as the child's father.

March 31, 2025: Musk Pays St. Clair Despite Uncertainty

On March 31, 2025, Elon Musk wrote that, while unsure if he was the father of Ashley St. Clair's child, he had paid St. Clair $2.5 million and would continue paying her $500,000 per year.

May 2025: Bill Gates Accuses Musk of "Killing the World's Poorest Children"

In May 2025, Bill Gates accused Elon Musk of "killing the world's poorest children" through his cuts to USAID, which modeling by Boston University estimated had resulted in 300,000 deaths by this time, most of them of children.

June 5, 2025: Musk Alleges Trump's Ties to Jeffrey Epstein

On June 5, 2025, a feud escalated between Elon Musk and Donald Trump when Musk alleged on X (formerly Twitter) that Trump had ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.