American billionaire Elon Musk raises several questions
American billionaire Elon Musk has triggered numerous questions by changing his handle on the X platform to “Kekius Maximus” on Tuesday. This new moniker seems to blend elements of far-right symbolism, a meme-based cryptocurrency, and one of the characters from the film “Gladiator.”
Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who has become one of President-elect Donald Trump’s key advisors, also updated his profile picture to an image of Pepe the Frog. This cartoon character was notably associated with the far-right during Trump’s first term and was labeled as a “hate symbol” by the Anti-Defamation League.
True to form, the world’s richest man, who acquired Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it to X, offered no explanation for these changes that have caused quite a stir.
His new pseudonym might be a reference to the Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius,
portrayed by Russell Crowe in the 2000 film “Gladiator.” Meanwhile, “Kek” is a term adopted by
far-right internet users and trolls as an alternative to “LOL” or “laugh out loud.”
Before changing his handle, Musk posted on X, “Kekius Maximus will soon reach level 80 in PoE,”
suggesting a nod to the popular video game “Path of Exile.”
Following the handle change, the value of the Kekius Maximus meme cryptocurrency, inspired by
an internet meme, surged by approximately 1400% by Tuesday afternoon, according to
CoinGecko. Internet users are now speculating whether this move was a jest or a cryptic message
in support of cryptocurrencies.
Musk is set to play a pivotal role in Trump’s administration, having been appointed to lead the
Department of Government Efficiency, aimed at reducing federal budgets.
