Musk's New Social Media Frontier: SpaceX IPO Looms

Elon Musk has established a verified presence on Instagram and TikTok, a development emerging as his rocket company, SpaceX, prepares for an initial public offering. The @elonmusk handle recently posted its first video on TikTok, featuring promotional material from SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, and The Boring Company, captioned "Ad Astra." An Instagram account under the same handle also exists, though it remains private with no posts yet. This strategic expansion onto new social media platforms occurs as Musk aims to generate significant public interest and raise billions for the SpaceX IPO, a move that could propel him toward becoming the first trillionaire.

Musk's engagement with these platforms contrasts with his past criticisms. He previously deleted Tesla and SpaceX pages from Facebook in 2018 over data handling concerns and had stated he deleted his personal Instagram account that same year, expressing worries about its negative impact on happiness. In 2023, he also mentioned ceasing TikTok use due to concerns about its AI and antisemitic content. The recent activity on verified @elonmusk accounts on TikTok and Instagram, which have garnered millions of views and thousands of followers respectively, marks a significant shift in his social media strategy.