The billionaires reaching the screen this fall are worth about $1.3 trillion combined, according to Forbes estimates. Elon Musk, the world's richest person, is estimated to hold $1 trillion (about 1,340 trillion won) based on his stakes in Tesla, SpaceX and xAI. Mark Zuckerberg, who owns 13% of Meta, ranks sixth in the world at $246.4 billion (about 331 trillion won).
Forbes reported on the 11th that tech entrepreneurs including Musk, Zuckerberg and Sam Altman are being portrayed simultaneously in documentaries and feature films. Critics have largely praised the projects, but responses from the subjects have ranged from silence to claims that the films are hit pieces. The movies began opening last week and will continue through next week.
"Musk," released last week, is a four-hour documentary about the world's wealthiest person, directed by Academy Award winner Alex Gibney. The same weekend brought "The Social Reckoning," a sequel to the 2010 film "The Social Network" about Meta Chief Executive Zuckerberg. Jeremy Strong plays Zuckerberg in a story built around the insider leaks that revealed Meta knew its social media platforms were harmful.
Next week brings "You Can See Everything," a documentary by comedian Nathan Fielder. It follows Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of blood-testing company Theranos who was convicted of fraud after flaws in the technology triggered lawsuits and investigations. "Artificial," a film about Altman's brief ouster as OpenAI chief executive in 2023, features tech billionaires including Musk and Altman.
Besides Musk, the figures appearing on screen include OpenAI President and co-founder Greg Brockman ($25.5 billion, about 34 trillion won), Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei ($15.5 billion, about 21 trillion won), OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever ($7 billion, about 9 trillion won) and Altman ($3.3 billion, about 4 trillion won). Holmes held $4.5 billion (about 6 trillion won) at her peak based on a 50% stake in Theranos, but the valuation was revised to zero after questions about the technology and subsequent investigations.
Musk Posts 12 Times About Director: "Worst Garbage on Earth"
Reviews have been mostly favorable. The documentaries "Musk" and "You Can See Everything" each scored 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on more than 20 reviews. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film portrays Musk as an unabashed megalomaniac in a way that will send chills down many viewers' spines. "Artificial," which premiered at the New York Film Festival this week, drew 95% based on 16 early reviews. "The Social Reckoning," by contrast, split critics with 56% from 178 reviews, far below the 96% for its Academy Award-winning predecessor.
Musk has sharply criticized the documentary about himself. In at least 12 posts on X, formerly Twitter, he called Gibney a tinfoil-hat weirdo, the worst garbage on Earth and a cranky old man who lost the plot long ago.
Musk also objected to the choice of interview subjects, which reportedly included his estranged father, Errol, former girlfriend Ashley St. Clair and ex-wife Justine Musk. In a post last month, Musk said Gibney had merely assembled a list of people who either hold grudges against him or do not know him, and described the film as a hit job. Gibney said he contacted Musk after the billionaire raised the prospect of legal action but received no response.
Altman also voiced criticism of "Artificial" in a recent Vanity Fair interview. Asked about what appeared to be a dark depiction of him, he said the filmmakers did not seem to be aiming for accuracy. He added that they were trying to make a good movie and that it might turn out to be a good one, but said it would not be good as an accurate portrayal. He said he had watched the trailer and denied owning a bunker stocked with guns as shown in the footage, calling that one example of the inaccuracy. He did credit actor Andrew Garfield with capturing his gait. He said he had never spoken with Garfield but that the production filmed outside his home one morning and the two waved at each other.
Zuckerberg has not responded publicly to his portrayal in "The Social Reckoning." Strong told GQ that he emailed Zuckerberg after signing on and received a reply, but declined to disclose its contents. In 2014, Zuckerberg criticized "The Social Network," saying it invented a number of hurtful things. Holmes, by contrast, took part voluntarily in "You Can See Everything," letting Fielder stay at her home and cooperating with filming before she reported to federal prison.
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