随着美国国会即将迎来民主党多数派，马斯克纪录片导演亚历克斯·吉布尼想知道，是否会重燃对埃隆·马斯克商业行为的政府调查兴趣。
As the US Congress prepares to usher in a Democratic majority, Musk director Alex Gibney wants to know if there will be renewed interest in government investigations into Elon Musk’s business practices.
“我们的政治体系是否有能力——假设民主党赢得众议院和参议院——无视金钱的力量……进行真正严厉的调查？”吉布尼在《连线》世界博览会上《马斯克》纪录片放映后，向《连线》撰稿编辑佐伊·希弗问道，当时许多关键的国会选战尚未宣布民主党获胜。
“Is our political system capable—assuming the Democrats win the House and the Senate—of ignoring the power of money … to hold really tough investigations?”Gibney asked WIRED contributing editor Zoë Schiffer following a screening of Musk at the WIRED World Fair just before many of the major congressional races were called for Democrats.
吉布尼这部宏大的纪录片重点展示了美国政府机构对马斯克的多项调查，并指出这些行动部分促成了马斯克近年来对唐纳德·特朗普及其他共和党候选人的支持。
Gibney’s sweeping documentary highlights United States government agencies’ multiple investigations into Musk, positing that these actions partially motivated Musk’s support for Donald Trump and other Republican candidates in recent years.
周二，吉布尼指出，马斯克在本选举周期向共和党政治团体捐赠了超过4.74亿美元，并补充说，“据我所知，事情进展得并不特别有利于埃隆，尤其是在得克萨斯州。” 在这番言论不久后，詹姆斯·塔尔里科在参议员竞选中获胜，吉娜·伊诺霍萨当选州长，他们是三十多年来首批赢得得克萨斯州全州选举的民主党人。马斯克多年来与得克萨斯州的大人物关系密切，向支持塔尔里科对手、得克萨斯州检察长肯·帕克斯顿的超级政治行动委员会捐赠了至少1.58亿美元。
On Tuesday, Gibney pointed to the more than $474 million Musk has donated to Republican political groups this election cycle, adding that, “last I looked things weren’t going Elon’s way, particularly in Texas.”Not long after those remarks, James Talrico was declared the winner of his Senate race and Gina Hinojosa was elected the state’s governor, some of the first Democrats to win a Texas statewide election in more than three decades. Musk, who has enjoyed close relationships with Texas bigwigs for years, donated at least $158 million to super PACs supporting Talrico’s opponent, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton.
吉布尼说：“马斯克现在拥有如此巨额的财富，在选举上投入5亿美元对他来说毫无意义。” 然而，其中大部分钱都套在他公司的股票里。“问题是：如果那些股票开始下跌怎么办？” 在制作《马斯克》期间，吉布尼采访了科技企业家、前员工，以及两位极具冲击力的受访者——马斯克的前任：他的第一任妻子贾斯汀·威尔逊，和前女友阿什利·圣克莱尔。《马斯克》还采访了希弗和《连线》全球编辑总监凯蒂·德拉蒙德。
Musk “now has such an extraordinary amount of money that dropping $500 million on an election means nothing to him,” Gibney says. However, much of that money is tied up in his companies’ stock. “The question is: What if that stock begins to fall?”While making Musk, Gibney spoke with tech entrepreneurs, former employees, and, in two particularly damning interviews, Musk’s exes—his first wife, Justine Wilson, and ex-girlfriend, Ashley St. Clair. Musk also features interviews with Schiffer and WIRED global editorial director Katie Drummond.
马斯克拒绝接受该片的采访。取而代之的是，吉布尼的团队利用马斯克过去的公开言论制作了一个模拟版本，将真实语录与一位皮肤黝黑、轮廓分明、身穿皮夹克的虚拟形象相结合。
Musk declined to be interviewed for the film. Instead, Gibney’s team used Musk’s past public comments to create a simulated version, pairing actual quotes with a tanned, chiseled avatar wearing a leather jacket.
在X平台上，马斯克谴责这部纪录片是一篇“抹黑文章”。9月，马斯克的律师亚历克斯·斯皮罗向吉布尼的拼图制片公司发送了一封信函，威胁要在影片上映前提起诽谤诉讼。
On X, Musk has decried the documentary as a “hit piece.”In September, Alex Spiro, an attorney for Musk, sent Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions a letter threatening to file a defamation lawsuit ahead of the film’s release.
《马斯克》的发行过程颇为曲折。据《好莱坞报道者》报道，10月初，拥有该片北美院线发行权的独立电影发行商布利克街影业在影片获得好评后，将上映日期提前了一周；YouTube、TikTok和Meta最初均拒绝在影片首映前投放预告片广告；X平台则根本没有投放预告片广告。
The rollout for Musk has been complex. In early October, independent film distributor Bleecker Street—which owns Musk’s domestic theatrical rights—moved up the release date by a week, following strong festival reviews. According to The Hollywood Reporter, YouTube, TikTok, and Meta all initially declined to advertise the trailer for Musk leading up to the film’s debut; X did not advertise the trailer at all.
从11月6日起，《马斯克》将可供租赁或购买，届时影片将不再在院线放映。
Musk will be available to rent or buy starting November 6, at which point it will no longer play in theaters.