Daniel Wolfram
Major platforms cite “political content” policies to silence ads for the new doc about Elon Musk, accidentally proving the film’s central point.
A new explosive four-hour documentary about Elon Musk is having a lot of trouble getting promotion.
The film’s distributor, Bleecker Street, tried to buy ad space across the web for the film titled Musk ahead of its October 9 theatrical debut.
But the distributor was declined by all the major social networks and has to rely on word of mouth.
A gag order on ‘Musk’
As The Hollywood Reporter revealed, tech giants YouTube, TikTok, and Meta refused to run the trailer.
Not surprisingly, X, the platform Elon Musk owns, has also refused to run ads for the documentary. But Musk has had multiple meltdowns over the film’s portrayal of him. He has repeatedly called it a “hit piece” and said it was “boring,” despite the fact that there are no indications he has seen it.
His lawyer, Alex Spiro, has also sent a letter to Gibney’s production company putting it “on notice.” The Hollywood Reporter also hints that it is Musk, who in the past has called himself a “free speech absolutist,” who has personally put the gag order on the film across all social media.
Labeled as political
According to Bleecker Street, the platforms all make the excuse that the ad for Musk violates policies against political content. Meta and TikTok ban campaign advertisements under company rules. Yet the clip only contains a brief glimpse of a 2024 political rally, while the documentary’s main focus is on Musk himself.
YouTube’s decision is even harder to understand because the video platform routinely allows political ads with disclosures. Bleecker Street appealed the decisions, but Meta has since rejected the request.
Musk’s company took it even further. The social network has punished the film company by refusing to engage with Bleecker Street’s representatives or even accept advertisements for any of the other titles on the studio’s upcoming theatrical release slate.
A familiar story
The four-hour documentary from director Alex Gibney examines how powerful figures attempt to shape public conversation and argues that we live in a post-democracy with technocrats controlling much of society.
Ironically, the real-world advertising bans seem to prove the film’s central point about Musk and the power he has.
It is not just social media and tech companies that have shown their hands. Universal, which is supposed to handle the doc’s distribution worldwide, has been hesitant to take on the job.
The company eventually agreed to distribute it after facing strong public pressure from fans and industry figures. Meta and YouTube has followed suit after citing the rejection was an “error.”
