WASHINGTON, United States — Elon Musk adopted the moniker “Kekius Maximus” on X Tuesday, sparking speculation among his 210 million followers about his mysterious new handle that is a mash-up of an alt-right symbol, a memecoin, and the lead character of the movie “Gladiator.” Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and a confidant of US President-elect Donald Trump, also replaced his profile picture with one of “Pepe the Frog,” a popular cartoon character, wearing ancient Roman attire and holding a video game joystick. READ MORE: Musk as US president? Trump says it is ‘not happening’ SpaceX fails to repeat Starship booster catch, as Trump watches on Wicked, Gladiator make gravity-defying theater debuts In typical Musk fashion, the billionaire tech mogul and owner of X — formerly Twitter — offered no explanation about the new username and avatar, but the move triggered immediate ripple effects.
The change roiled the cryptocurrency world, sending the value of a memecoin — a digital currency inspired by an internet meme — with the same name skyrocketing. It also sent internet sleuths hunting for answers: Was the name change just for the laughs? Was there a hidden message? Was this another thinly-disguised attempt to jolt the crypto markets? More troublingly, was it a wink and a nod to online hate groups? Musk and X did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment. His new handle appears to be a blend of “Maximus Decimus Meridius” — a Roman gen.