Filmmaker Alex Gibney’s nearly four-hour documentary, Musk, places the billionaire entrepreneur’s private relationships, approach to parenting, and ambition to expand his family under a harsh spotlight. Released following public announcements regarding his personal life, the sprawling film features frank accounts from Elon Musk’s first wife, Justine Wilson, and former girlfriend Ashley St. Clair, offering a rare window into the tech mogul’s domestic dynamics.
The documentary explores Musk’s personal life alongside his high-profile business ventures, political influence, and public statements. According to reviews and reports from outlets such as WIRED and E! News, Wilson and St. Clair describe experiences that left them deeply concerned about his treatment of partners and his expectations surrounding the mothers of his children.
Insights From First Wife Justine Wilson
Justine Wilson, who was married to Musk from 2000 to 2008, shares five surviving children with the SpaceX and Tesla founder. Their first son, Nevada Alexander, tragically died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at 10 weeks old in 2002. In the documentary, Wilson reflects on the emotional toll of their relationship and the stark realities of being part of Musk’s extended family network.
"Somebody on Elon’s side referred to us as ‘the breeders,’" Wilson says in the film, according to E! News. "And there’s a playbook, you know, it’s kind of like an assembly line by now."
Wilson also recounts feeling constantly criticized throughout their marriage, noting that she learned the term "gaslighting" through her relationship with Musk. She describes a dynamic where conversational goalposts were frequently moved, leaving her off-balance before interactions shifted back to normalcy.
, Wilson addresses public statements made by Musk regarding their children, expressing pain over his framing of family estrangements. This includes tensions concerning their transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, whom Musk publicly asserted was impacted by cultural ideologies rather than addressing familial rifts directly.
Ashley St. Clair on Fatherhood and Family Plans
Former conservative influencer and author Ashley St. Clair, who shares a son named Romulus with Musk, provides another critical perspective on the billionaire’s approach to fatherhood. In Musk, St. Clair alleges that the entrepreneur expressed a desire to "create a legion of children before the civil war" and favored using surrogacy methods to achieve rapid family expansion.
St. Clair also discusses declining a substantial nondisclosure agreement, choosing instead to speak openly about her experiences and participate in Gibney’s project. Her commentary adds to a broader narrative within the film examining how Musk navigates custody arrangements, co-parenting dynamics, and personal communications with various partners.
Musk’s Response and Critical Reception
Elon Musk, who did not participate in the documentary and distanced himself from the project early on, has sharply criticized the film. In 2023, he labeled the work "a hit piece," and following its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, he took to X to reiterate his disapproval.
"Gibney just assembled a hit list of people who either have an axe to grind or don’t even know me," Musk posted online, dismissing the four-hour project as a "hit piece that misses, and makes the fatal sin of being boring."
Despite Musk’s dismissal, the documentary has generated intense public discussion regarding the intersection of modern tech oligarchs, public self-mythologizing, and the private lives of those orbiting figures of immense global influence. By centering the accounts of women who shared his domestic life, Musk presents a complex, contentious portrait that challenges the billionaire’s carefully curated public image.
