At first glance, the claim feels unlikely: in addition to the richest man in the world, the Chief Executive of several companies and an important adviser from President Trump, says Elon Musk that he is also a world -class video game player.
It is a statement that Mr. Musk has repeated over the years. He has an account on X, his social media platform, dedicated to placing highlights of his gameplay. He is streamed with some of the best competitive video game players in the world on platforms such as Twitch. He even etched his name on the global leaders of certain games.
But last week the community of gamers he tried to make a long impression against him. It started with a live stream from Mr. Musk playing path of exile 2, a popular range playing game that is known for its difficulty. Although his account showed that he had earned one of the highest levels of the game, his gameplay looked like that of an amateur.
Internet -Speurnezen made YouTube videos and went to Reddit -Threads to dissect his gameplay, making mistakes a beginner. Other gamers pointed out that the path of exile of Mr. Musk has sometimes been active that he could not have played himself, such as on Monday morning, while at the inauguration of Mr. Trump was. Mr. Musk's account status indicated that he was registered with the game and within a 'card', which meant it was possible – although not certain – that someone played the game on the account while Mr. Musk behind Mr. Trump sat.
“How are you?” One streamer asked while watching a split screen of the game and Mr. Musk in the Capitol Rotunda, while Mr. Trump was sworn. “How are things in the sulfuric caves, Elon?”
Thousands of gamers went to X to accuse Mr. Musk of “stimulating” his account-that means, paying for upgrades on third-party websites, or hire people to play his accounts for him. It was the gaming equivalent of stolen courage.
It is rare that something that touches the billionaire, whether he is launching rockets or Dead Dead, results in anything but controversy. But for Mr. Musk, “Hardcore Gamer” is an important part of the identity he tried to project: a polymatic nerd's nerd who is equal car -mogul, space pioneer and serial technology entrepreneur.
Even if he has become one of the most powerful people in the Trump administration, he has put a lot of effort into showing that he appreciates the video culture. And under the very online and very male fandom of Mr. Musk are great game skills something to admire.
“He wants people to really look up to him,” said Rod Breslau, an old analyst and consultant for video games. “He must be good at video games, so that he can be cool for all fans, all his technical events, all people who are in his technology, gamer and AI world.”
Mr. For years, Musk has insisted on a controversial in the gaming world. According to Walter Isaacson's biography of the billionaire, Mr. Musk demanded a role in Cyberpunk 2077, the much hyped, futuristic video radio franchise that debuted in 2020 (his former girlfriend Claire Boucher, who performs music as Grimes and with whom he played three children in a personage in the game.)
He streamed with playing Diablo 4, the sultry, monster laying series that broke sales plates when it was released. And he has the smash hit Role-Playing Game Elden Ring Fawn and called it 'the most beautiful art' he had ever seen in a post to X.
But hardcore gamers have been skeptical. In 2022 Mr. Musk eyebrows up in the gaming community when he posted a photo of the 'build' of his Elden Ring character, the various types of equipment that players can use to adjust their characters. Fans of the game called it a “trash build”, consisting of a series of nonsensical equipment choices made by someone who seemed no idea how to play the game.
Mr. Musk discussed his gaming in an interview in November with Joe Rogan, the celebrity podcaster. Mr. Musk quoted an unofficial leaderboard that showed him as one of the top 20 Diablo 4 players in the world.
Gamers wondered how that was possible. The amount of time needed to obtain part of the items and skills that Mr. Musk had reached – no less than 10 hours of gameplay a day, according to some estimates – did not seem to stand in line with his schedule for travel and events.
Mr. Musk shot back on no -sayers in posts on X – of which he later removed – and some of the critics attacked for their own game skills.
But a week ago he admitted to Nicholas Hayes, a gaming YouTube personality, that he had indeed raised his defeats.
In reports Mr Hayes shared in a YouTube video, he asked the billionaire if he stimulated and Mr. Musk responded with a 100% emoji.
“It is impossible to beat the players in Asia if you don't,” said Mr. Musk in messages. He later placed the video again on his own X feed. He did not respond to requests for comment.
In an interview with the New York Times, Mr. Hayes said he was not surprised by the revelation. In the past he played Diablo with Mr. Musk and he remembered moments when the billionaire implied that he had not earned the equipment of his character himself, or that another player had given him a gift.
“I mean, it's Elon Musk,” said Mr. Hayes. “If you play with him, you will probably give him a lot of things.”
Yet Mr. defended Musk his gaming -and said in the reports to Mr Hayes that boosting is commonplace among elite players in Diablo. And two of the mothers of his children have come to defense.
“Only for my personal pride would I say that my children's father was the first American drove in Diablo who was the slaughterhouse of Zir and ended that season in the US,” wrote Mrs Boucher on X, referring to X, Referring to X, referring to X, referring one of the difficult church cards of the game. “I have observed these things with my own eyes.”
Shivon Zilis, who with various of his companies with Mr. Musk worked and is known as the mother of three of his children, posted a video last week that Mr. Musk Diablo played. In the answers she told a memory when he gameed 17 hours on Christmas Day in 2023.
“He took breaks for family meals and Christmas presents, but was too excited for sleep, he made time with the children and a 17 -hour aoz push work that day,” she wrote, referring to a challenge in Diablo. “Was a pleasure to see that he had so much pleasure with it!”
Boosting violates the general terms and conditions of Diablo IV and Path or Exile 2. But the market for third -party upgrades is robust and players can choose from a number of websites to upgrade their accounts, most of which charge thousands of dollars.
A spokesperson for Blizzard, the publisher of Diablo, refused to comment. Malen equipment games, the publisher of Path or Exile, did not respond to a request for comment.
A path of exile players who Mr. Musk has known an avid gamer for decades, were disappointed to find out that he had paid to improve his account, including Dennis Fong, one of the first professional e-athletes players.
In an interview, Mr. Fong told the earthquake at the same Stanford University servers as Mr. Musk in the nineties. (Mr. Musk was not a student.) “He was decent,” said Mr. Fong about Mr. Musk, who used the screen name ZIP2, the name of the company he had recently started. “Not one of the best in the world.”
Then Mr. Musk scoured his Diablo gameplay on X and on the podcast of Mr. Rogan, Mr. Fong said he wanted to believe it was true, because Diablo is generally considered an easy game without much competitive scene. But looking at the path of exile gameplay, Mr. Fung, it was clear that he had no idea what was going on. “
Mr. Breslau said that Mr. Musk reminded him of a teenager. “That way,” Mr Breslau added, “he is a real gamer.”
