- Elon Musk faces mounting criticism from the gaming community, including Twitch streamer Asmongold, after controversial claims about his gaming prowess, leaked private messages, and actions that questioned his authenticity and credibility.
Elon Musk's credibility as a self-proclaimed world-class gamer is under scrutiny after he clashed with popular Twitch streamer Asmongold, who challenged him to prove his skills in exchange for streaming exclusively on X for a year.
Instead of seizing the opportunity to lure Asmongold’s 3.6 million followers to his platform, Musk leaked private messages and stripped the streamer of his verification badge, which allows ad revenue sharing.
The move comes as Musk continues efforts to attract Twitch creators to X, including discrediting Amazon’s platform over adult content—shortly before permitting it on X.
“Asmon behaves like a maverick ‘independent’, but in reality has to ask his boss for permission before he can do anything. He is not his own man,” Musk posted in a series of tweets that included the leaked messages. Musk's posts were slapped with Community Notes for spreading disinformation.
The X owner stopped short of completely deactivating the account, a tactic the self-described "free speech absolutist" has employed on occasion.
Asmongold's checkmark was also later restored with no explanation. Fortune reached out to Musk on his platform for comment, and will update with any statement from the owner.
Musk's gaming claims spark credibility concerns
Musk's alleged ranking as a top-tier player in games like Diablo IV or Path of Exile 2—or the possibility he paid others to boost his status—may seem trivial for a figure hailed as the most influential innovator of his generation.
However, the controversy strikes at his credibility. If Musk, who once fought to be named a Tesla co-founder, isn't forthcoming about something as minor as gaming, it raises questions about his transparency on more significant matters.
Criticism intensified after Musk, who has often touted his gaming prowess on podcasts like Lex Fridman and Joe Rogan, hosted a livestream earlier this month that inadvertently exposed his lack of expertise at the elite level he claimed.
Had Musk framed himself as a casual gamer rather than a self-proclaimed king, the community might have forgiven a boosted account. Instead, his grandiose claims have invited deeper scrutiny.
“It was stupid for him to have done this. The fact is people respect authenticity more than they respect success,” Asmongold said this week. “It just makes him look like an insecure a--hole.”
Musk faces backlash from gamer community
Going after a Twitch streamer like Asmongold to silence him earned Musk a roasting by a community that once viewed him as one of their own.
That's Elon's whole life... Pay others to do things then take credit for it.
— Jason Allen (@JasxnAllen) January 11, 2025
Very Concerning
“This is a legendary meltdown, abuse of his power & exactly what the left does,” wrote The Quartering.
The backlash against Musk over his gaming claims is surprising, given gamers' history of instinctively supporting his anti-establishment stance. Long before Musk openly criticized diversity and political correctness, gamers rebelled against similar themes being imposed on their medium, as seen with titles like Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Rooted in nerd culture, gamers tend to reject authority figures who scorned them, valuing shared passion over status.
“I’m a huge fan of Elon Musk—but this is embarrassing and very silly,” Asmongold said in his video from Monday. “It makes him look bad and it’s for absolutely no reason, it’s of no consequence and it achieves no goal.”
