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 leading Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI. He is recognized as one of the world's wealthiest individuals, with a net worth of US$852 billion as of February 2026 according to Forbes. His ventures are focused on electric vehicles, space exploration, social media, and artificial intelligence.

Sections (6)

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

2012: Emails with Epstein

Between 2012 and 2013, after Epstein's first conviction, Elon Musk exchanged emails with Epstein.

2012: Email exchange with Epstein about parties

On Christmas day in 2012, Elon Musk emailed Epstein asking about parties, expressing interest in the party scene, to which Epstein responded, implying that the "ratio on my island" might make Musk's wife uncomfortable.

September 11, 2013: Email from Epstein inviting to UN General Assembly

On September 11, 2013, Epstein sent an email inviting Elon Musk to the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which Musk declined.

2013: Emails with Epstein

Between 2012 and 2013, after Epstein's first conviction, Elon Musk exchanged emails with Epstein.

2014: Photographed with Ghislaine Maxwell

In 2014, Elon Musk appeared in a photograph with Ghislaine Maxwell at an Academy Awards after-party, which Musk later described as a "photobomb".

2018: Judge Rescinds Musk's $55 Billion Pay Package

In 2018, Delaware judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled in a 2018 lawsuit that Elon Musk's $55 billion pay package from Tesla be rescinded, calling it unfair to shareholders.

2018: Musk sued by the SEC

In 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Elon Musk for a tweet about taking Tesla private, alleging securities fraud. Musk settled with the SEC two days later, resulting in fines and his removal as Tesla chairman for three years.

2018: SEC Sues Musk Over Tesla Tweet

2019: Denial of close relationship with Epstein

In 2019, Elon Musk denied any close relationship with Epstein and described him as a "creep".

2019: SEC Seeks Contempt Charge Against Musk

In 2019, after Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla would build half a million cars that year, the SEC sought to hold him in contempt for violating the 2018 settlement agreement.

January 2020: Settlement in 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: Musk Resigns as Tesla Chairman

In May 2020, Elon Musk resigned as chairman of the board as part of the settlement of a lawsuit from the SEC over him tweeting that funding had been "secured" for potentially taking Tesla private.

2020: Lawsuit Blocked Over Musk's Tweet

In 2020, a judge blocked a lawsuit claiming that a tweet by Elon Musk regarding Tesla's stock price violated the 2018 agreement with the SEC.

2020: Hunter Biden Laptop Controversy

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

2021: Alleged affair with Nicole Shanahan

In 2021, Elon Musk allegedly had an affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, according to The Wall Street Journal.

2021: Opposition to the Build Back Better Act

In 2021, Elon Musk publicly expressed opposition to the Build Back Better Act.

July 2022: Report of affair with Nicole Shanahan

In July 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk allegedly had an affair with Nicole Shanahan in 2021.

December 2022: ElonJet Account Banned on Twitter

In December 2022, Elon Musk banned the ElonJet account on Twitter, and made temporary bans on the accounts of journalists that posted stories regarding the incident.

2022: Musk's Twitter Acquisition and Changes

Immediately after the acquisition in 2022, Elon Musk fired several top Twitter executives and became the CEO. Under Musk, Twitter instituted monthly subscriptions for a "blue check", and laid off a significant portion of the company's staff. Musk lessened content moderation and hate speech also increased on the platform after his takeover. Later, Musk promised to step down as CEO after a Twitter poll, and five months later, Musk transitioned his role to executive chairman and chief technology officer (CTO).

2022: Acquisition of Twitter

In 2022, Elon Musk acquired the social network Twitter and implemented significant changes.

2022: Donation to Citizens for Sanity

In 2022, Elon Musk gave over $50 million to Citizens for Sanity, a conservative political action committee.

2022: Federal Probe into Neuralink Animal Welfare

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

2022: SEC Sues Musk Over Testimony Refusal

In 2022, the SEC started an investigation into Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter stock.

2022: Shift in Political Contributions

Since 2022, Elon Musk's political contributions have mostly supported Republicans, with his first vote for a Republican going to Mayra Flores.

October 2023: Grimes sued 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 Testimony Refusal

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

2023: Denial of Starlink Activation Over Crimea

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.

2023: Increased scrutiny of Musk's international 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: Judge Rescinds Musk's $55 Billion Pay Package

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

January 2024: Reports Surface of Musk's Alleged Drug Use

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

February 2024: Judge Rules Musk Must Testify

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

July 2024: Musk Endorses Trump After Assassination Attempt

In July 2024, following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Elon Musk publicly endorsed him for president and expressed hope for his quick recovery.

October 2024: Report of buying a Texas compound for his children and their mothers

In October 2024, The New York Times reported that Elon Musk bought a Texas compound for his children and their mothers, which Musk denied.

2024: Musk Criticizes Assassin's Creed Shadows

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

2024: Musk Supports Far-Right Party in Germany

In 2024, Elon Musk supported the far-right Alternative for Germany political party.

2024: Largest Donor in U.S. Presidential Election

In 2024, Elon Musk was the largest donor in the U.S. presidential election, where he supported Donald Trump.

2024: Support for Far-Right Causes

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

January 2025: Musk designated as "special government employee"

In January 2025, an organization was created by executive order, and Elon Musk was designated a "special government employee".

January 2025: SEC Files Lawsuit Against Musk for Securities Violations

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

February 14, 2025: Ashley St. Clair claimed to give birth to Musk's son

On February 14, 2025, Ashley St. Clair claimed on X to have given birth to Elon Musk's son Romulus five months earlier.

February 22, 2025: St Clair filed 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 recognised as the child's father.

March 31, 2025: Musk's payment to St. Clair

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

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.

October 2025: Kamala Harris Comments on Tesla White House Snub

In October 2025, former vice-president Kamala Harris commented that it was a mistake from the Democratic side to not invite Elon Musk to a White House electric vehicle event organized in August 2021 and featuring executives from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, despite Tesla being "the major American manufacturer of extraordinary innovation in this space." Harris said presidents should put aside political loyalties when it came to recognizing innovation, and guessed that the non-invitation impacted Musk's perspective.

November 2025: Estimated death toll rises to 400,000 children and 200,000 adults

By November 2025, the estimated death toll from Musk's cuts to USAID had increased to 400,000 children and 200,000 adults.

2025: Musk Criticizes Assassin's Creed Shadows

In 2025, Elon Musk criticized the video game Assassin's Creed Shadows and its creator Ubisoft for "woke" content.

2025: Senior Advisor to the President and Head of DOGE

In early 2025, after Trump was inaugurated, Elon Musk served as Senior Advisor to the President and as the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

January 2026: Release of Epstein files

The January 2026 Epstein files contain emails between Elon Musk and Epstein from 2012 to 2013, after Epstein's first conviction.

January 30, 2026: Release of emails indicating Epstein's invitation to his island

On January 30, 2026, emails were released indicating that Epstein invited Elon Musk to visit his private island on multiple occasions, though Musk did not visit.

February 2026: Musk Describes Spanish Prime Minister as "Tyrant"

In February 2026, Elon Musk described Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as a "tyrant" following Sánchez's proposal to prohibit minors under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms.