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. 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? 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 general played by Russell Crowe in the 2000 smash hit “Gladiator” — and “kek,” an expression popular among the alt-right and internet trolls that is used as a variation of “LOL,” or laugh out loud.
Pepe the Frog was originally a cartoon character from the “Boy’s Club” .
