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 businessman and entrepreneur who leads Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter, and xAI. As of February 2026, he is the world's wealthiest person, with an estimated net worth of US$852 billion according to Forbes.

Sections (6)

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

2012: Emails with Epstein

In 2012, Elon Musk and Epstein exchanged emails. These emails continued until 2013.

September 11, 2013: Epstein's email to Musk

On September 11, 2013, Epstein emailed Elon Musk about attending the opening of the United Nations General Assembly.

2013: Emails with Epstein

In 2013, Elon Musk and Epstein exchanged emails. These emails started in 2012.

2014: Photograph with Ghislaine Maxwell

In 2014, Elon Musk and Ghislaine Maxwell appeared together in a photograph at an Academy Awards after-party.

2018: SEC sues Musk over Tesla going private tweet

In 2018, the SEC sued Musk for tweeting that he had secured funding to take Tesla private, calling the tweet false and misleading. Musk settled, paying a $20 million fine and stepping down as Tesla chairman for three years.

2018: Judge rescinds Musk's $55 billion Tesla pay package

In January 2024, Delaware judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled that Elon Musk's $55 billion pay package from Tesla be rescinded, calling it unfair to shareholders in a 2018 lawsuit.

2019: Musk denies close relationship with Epstein

In 2019, Elon Musk denied having a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, describing him as a "creep".

2019: SEC asks court to hold Musk in contempt

In 2019, the SEC asked a court to hold Elon Musk in contempt for allegedly violating the terms of the 2018 settlement agreement with a tweet about Tesla's production.

January 2020: Tesla Directors Settle SolarCity Lawsuit

In January 2020, Tesla directors settled the shareholder lawsuit regarding the acquisition of SolarCity, 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 of Tesla as part of the settlement of a lawsuit from the SEC over his tweets about securing funding for taking Tesla private.

2020: Musk Releases Internal Documents Relating to Twitter's Moderation of Hunter Biden's laptop controversy

In late 2022, 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 2021: Tesla Not Invited to White House Electric Vehicle Event

In August 2021, Tesla was not invited to a White House electric vehicle event, featuring executives from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, despite being "the major American manufacturer of extraordinary innovation in this space."

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.

July 2022: Affair Allegations Surface

In July 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported allegations of Elon Musk having 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 the accounts of journalists that posted stories regarding the incident.

2022: Musk Acquires Twitter and Implements Changes

In 2022, Elon Musk acquired Twitter, fired top executives including CEO Parag Agrawal (becoming CEO himself), instituted monthly subscriptions for a "blue check", and laid off a significant portion of the company's staff. Content moderation was lessened and hate speech increased on the platform after his takeover.

2022: Musk Acquires Twitter

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

2022: Musk expresses support for Ukraine

In 2022, Elon Musk expressed his support for Ukraine amidst the Russian invasion, and suggested referendums and peace deals on Russia-occupied territories.

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 the company's animal trials.

2022: SEC sues Musk over refusal to testify in Twitter stock purchase investigation

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

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 refusal to testify in Twitter stock purchase investigation

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

2023: Musk Denies Ukraine Starlink Activation Request

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 shuns World Economic Forum

In 2023, Elon Musk stated he avoided the World Economic Forum due to it being boring; the organization countered they hadn't invited him since 2015.

2023: Scrutiny of Musk's international political actions increases

Since 2023, Musk's international political actions and comments have faced increasing scrutiny from various governments due to his U.S. government position and ownership of X. Analysis suggests he has supported far-right movements in multiple countries to reduce immigration and business regulations.

January 2024: Judge rescinds Musk's $55 billion Tesla pay package

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

January 2024: Reports of Musk's alleged drug use surface

Since January 2024, media outlets have reported on Elon Musk's alleged use of ketamine, marijuana, LSD, ecstasy, mushrooms, cocaine, and other drugs. Musk initially refused to comment, then stated he hasn't tested positive and would take drugs if they improved his productivity.

February 2024: Judge rules Musk must testify again in SEC investigation

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

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 recovery.

October 2024: Reported Texas Compound Purchase

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 for 'woke' content

In 2024, Elon Musk criticized Ubisoft's video game Assassin's Creed Shadows for "woke" content, specifically the inclusion of the historical figure Yasuke. Ubisoft responded by saying that Musk's comments were "just feeding hatred".

2024: Musk supports Alternative for Germany and criticizes UK policies

In 2024, Elon Musk supported the far-right Alternative for Germany political party. He blamed the 2024 UK riots on mass migration and open borders and criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

2024: Musk Donates to Trump's Election Campaign

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

2024: Musk Supports Far-Right Political Parties and Shares Conspiracy Theories

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

January 2025: Musk designated as "special government employee" leading DOGE

In January 2025, Elon Musk was designated a "special government employee" and led the DOGE organization as a senior advisor to the president. However, the White House Office of Administration stated he lacked formal authority, while Trump later affirmed Musk's leadership of DOGE. A federal judge also ruled that Musk acted as the de facto leader of DOGE.

January 2025: SEC files lawsuit against Musk for securities violations related to Twitter purchase

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

February 14, 2025: St. Clair claims birth of 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 files 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 recognised as the child's father.

March 31, 2025: Musk comments on St. Clair's child

On March 31, 2025, Elon Musk wrote that he was unsure if he was the father of Ashley St. Clair's child, but had paid her $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 Musk of "killing the world's poorest children" through his cuts to USAID. Boston University estimated the cuts had resulted in 300,000 deaths, most of whom were children.

October 2025: Kamala Harris Comments on Tesla's Exclusion from White House Event

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."

November 2025: Estimated death toll rises due to Musk's cuts to USAID

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

2025: Musk continues criticizing Assassin's Creed Shadows

In 2025, Elon Musk continued to criticize the video game Assassin's Creed Shadows and its creator Ubisoft for "woke" content, posting on X that "DEI kills art" and calling the game "terrible".

2025: Musk contributes to Wisconsin Supreme Court race

In 2025, Musk donated $19 million to the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, aiming to influence redistricting and regulations for car manufacturers and dealers.

2025: Musk Serves in Trump Administration

In early 2025, after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president, 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 contained emails between Elon Musk and Epstein from 2012 to 2013.

January 30, 2026: Release of emails indicating Epstein invitation

Emails released on January 30, 2026, indicated that Epstein invited Elon Musk to visit his private island on multiple occasions, which Musk did not do.

February 2026: Musk calls Spanish Prime Minister a 'tyrant'

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