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. He is most notably known for leading Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI. As of April 2026, he is estimated by Forbes to be the wealthiest person in the world, with a net worth of US$809 billion.

Sections (6)

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

2012: Emails between Musk and Epstein

From 2012, Elon Musk and Epstein exchanged emails.

2012: Email to Epstein About Parties

On Christmas day in 2012, Elon Musk emailed Jeffrey Epstein about attending parties in St Barts or elsewhere, expressing a desire to "hit the party scene".

September 11, 2013: Email Exchange Regarding UN General Assembly

On September 11, 2013, Jeffrey Epstein emailed Elon Musk inviting him to New York for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, which Musk declined.

2013: Emails between Musk and Epstein

To 2013, Elon Musk and Epstein exchanged emails.

2014: Photograph with Ghislaine Maxwell

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

2018: SEC Settlement with Musk

In 2018, Elon Musk reached a settlement with the SEC after being sued for a tweet about taking Tesla private. The settlement included fines and stepping down as chairman of Tesla.

2018: Lawsuit Filed Over Musk's Tesla Pay Package

In 2018, a lawsuit was filed regarding Elon Musk's $55 billion pay package from Tesla, which led to a ruling in January 2024 that the pay package be rescinded.

2018: SEC Sues Musk Over Tesla Tweet

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

2019: SEC Reacts to Musk's Tesla Tweet

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. A clarified agreement was later reached.

2019: Musk Denied Introducing Epstein to Zuckerberg

In 2019, when asked if he introduced Jeffrey Epstein to Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk denied doing so.

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: Musk Resigns as Chairman of Tesla Board

In May 2020, Elon Musk resigned as chairman of the board of Tesla as part of a settlement from a lawsuit by the SEC related to a tweet about taking Tesla private.

2020: Lawsuit Blocked Over Musk's Tesla Tweet

In 2020, a judge blocked a lawsuit claiming that a tweet by Elon Musk regarding Tesla stock price ("too high imo") violated the 2018 agreement with the SEC. Records showed the SEC believed Musk violated the agreement twice.

2020: Release of Hunter Biden Laptop Controversy Documents

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.

August 5, 2021: Biden Signs Executive Order on Electric Vehicle Sales

On August 5, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order targeting that half of cars sold in 2030 should be electric. Elon Musk commented that it "seems odd that Tesla wasn't invited" to the event.

September 2021: Musk Criticizes Biden Administration

In September 2021, Elon Musk criticized the Biden administration as "not the friendliest administration."

December 2021: Musk Opposes Build Back Better Act

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

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, which reportedly led to their divorce the following year.

July 2022: Report of Alleged 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: Musk Bans ElonJet Account on Twitter

In December 2022, Elon Musk banned the ElonJet account on Twitter, which tracked his flight usage, and temporarily banned journalists who posted stories about the incident, sparking controversy.

2022: Federal Probe Launched into Neuralink Animal Welfare

In 2022, a federal probe was launched into possible animal welfare violations by Neuralink, following claims of animal cruelty during testing.

2022: SEC investigation into Musk's purchase of Twitter stock

In 2022, the SEC started investigating into whether Elon Musk violated federal law by purchasing Twitter stock.

October 2023: Grimes Sued Musk Over Parental Rights

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

October 2023: SEC Sues Musk Over Twitter Stock Purchase

In October 2023, the SEC sued Elon Musk for refusing to testify in an investigation regarding 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: Musk Boosts Far-Right Political Movements

Since 2023, Elon Musk has been boosting far-right political movements aiming to cut immigration and curtail regulation of business in at least 18 countries across six continents, according to a February 2025 NBC News analysis.

January 2024: Judge Rescinds Musk's Tesla Pay Package

In January 2024, Delaware judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled that Elon Musk's $55 billion pay package from Tesla should be rescinded, deeming it an "unfathomable sum" unfair to shareholders.

January 2024: Reports of Musk's Alleged Drug Use

Since January 2024, media outlets have reported alleged drug use by Elon Musk, including ketamine, marijuana, LSD, ecstasy, mushrooms, and cocaine. These reports followed Musk's statement that he uses doctor-prescribed ketamine for occasional depression.

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.

2024: Musk Criticizes UK Politics

In 2024, Elon Musk blamed the UK riots on mass migration and open borders, and criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer, leading to accusations of spreading misinformation and amplifying the far-right.

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, stating that "DEI kills art".

2024: Musk Supports Alternative for Germany

In 2024, Elon Musk voiced his support for the far-right Alternative for Germany political party.

2024: Largest Donor in the U.S. Presidential Election

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

2024: Musk's Views Described as Right-Wing

Since 2024, Elon Musk's views have been generally described as right-wing, and he started supporting international far-right political parties, activists, and causes, while sharing misinformation and conspiracy theories.

January 2025: Creation of DOGE and Musk's Designation

In January 2025, DOGE was created by executive order, and Elon Musk was designated a "special government employee". Despite his role as a senior advisor to the president, official statements indicated he lacked formal authority. A federal judge later ruled that Musk acted as the de facto leader of DOGE.

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 stock.

January 2025: Increased Scrutiny of Musk's Political Actions

Starting in January 2025, Elon Musk's international political actions and statements faced increasing scrutiny and criticism, especially from the governments and leaders of France, Germany, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom, partly due to his position in the U.S. government and ownership of X.

February 14, 2025: Ashley St. Clair's Claim

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

February 2025: NBC News Analysis on Musk's Political Influence

In February 2025, an NBC News analysis revealed that since 2023, Elon Musk had been supporting far-right political movements aimed at reducing immigration and easing business regulations in at least 18 countries across six continents.

February 22, 2025: Ashley St. Clair Filed for Sole Custody

On February 22, 2025, Ashley St. Clair 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's Response to St. Clair's Claim

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

May 2025: Musk's Position in the U.S. Government

As of May 2025, Elon Musk held a position in the U.S. government, which, along with his ownership of X, contributed to increased scrutiny and criticism of his international political actions and comments.

May 2025: Bill Gates Accuses Musk

In May 2025, Bill Gates accused Elon Musk of "killing the world's poorest children" through his cuts to USAID, with estimations suggesting a significant number of child and adult deaths due to these cuts.

2025: Musk's Contribution to Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

In 2025, Elon Musk contributed $19 million to the Wisconsin Supreme Court race with the goal of influencing the state's future redistricting efforts and regulations governing car manufacturers and dealers.

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, stating that "DEI kills art".

2025: Publication of Gilded Rage

In 2025, Jacob Silverman's book "Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley" was published, analyzing Musk's influence and the tech industry's political alignment.

January 2026: Release of Epstein Files

In January 2026, the Epstein files were released, containing emails between Elon Musk and Jeffrey Epstein from 2012 to 2013.

January 30, 2026: Release of Emails with Epstein

On January 30, 2026, emails were released indicating that Jeffrey Epstein invited Elon Musk to visit his private island on multiple occasions.

February 2026: Musk Criticizes Pedro Sánchez

In February 2026, Elon Musk referred to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as a "tyrant" after Sánchez proposed prohibiting minors under 16 from accessing social media platforms.

March 20, 2026: Musk Found Liable for Misleading Investors in Twitter Acquisition

On March 20, 2026, a jury in San Francisco found Elon Musk liable for misleading investors during his acquisition of Twitter, determining he misled shareholders in two tweets but not in a podcast. Damages were estimated at $2.5 billion.