Speaking with WIRED contributing editor Zoë Schiffer after a screening at the WIRED World Fair, just before major congressional races were called for Democrats, Gibney asked whether the political system can ignore the power of money and run truly tough investigations.
His film highlights multiple US agency investigations into Musk and suggests they partly motivated his backing of Donald Trump and other Republican candidates.
He said things weren't going Musk's way, particularly in Texas, and soon afterward James Talrico won his Senate race and Gina Hinojosa was elected governor, among the first Democratic statewide wins in Texas in more than three decades.
Musk gave at least $158 million to super PACs supporting Talrico's opponent, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton.
Gibney argued that Musk has so much money that spending $500 million on an election means little to him, but noted that much of his wealth is tied to his companies' stock, asking what happens if that stock begins to fall.
For the film, Gibney spoke with tech entrepreneurs, former employees, and Musk's ex-wife Justine Wilson and ex-girlfriend Ashley St. Clair. Musk declined to be interviewed, so the filmmakers built a simulated version of him from his past public comments, paired with an avatar in a leather jacket. Musk has called the film a "hit piece" on X, and his attorney Alex Spiro sent Jigsaw Productions a letter in September threatening a defamation suit. Distributor Bleecker Street moved the release up a week in October after strong festival reviews. The Hollywood Reporter reported that YouTube, TikTok and Meta initially declined to advertise the trailer, and X did not advertise it at all. Musk becomes available to rent or buy on November 6, when it leaves theaters.