Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and the man behind X (formerly Twitter), has found time to engage in a surprisingly different pursuit—video gaming. Despite his high-profile roles, Musk has managed to rise to the top in popular games like Diablo IV and Path of Exile 2. Yet, his newfound reputation as a top player has raised eyebrows, with some gamers questioning whether his success is legitimate.
Suspicion Around Path of Exile 2 Performance
Musk’s gameplay in Path of Exile 2, an action RPG released in December 2024, has sparked debate. In a recent livestream, Musk attempted to access game portals that were beyond his reach, and overlooked valuable items—an unusual move for an experienced player. This led Twitch streamer Quin69 to speculate that Musk might be “boosting” his character.
Boosting is a practice where skilled players assist others by leveling up their characters, often completing tedious tasks on their behalf. Quin69, who has over 892,000 followers, accused Musk of relying on someone else to level up his character, claiming that Musk “literally has no idea what he’s doing.” He even accused the billionaire of sharing his account with another player to gain an advantage.
Controversy Over Diablo IV Speedrun
This is not the first time Musk’s gaming performance has been questioned. In November 2023, he posted a video claiming to have completed Diablo IV’s challenging “Pit” dungeon in under two minutes, a feat he shared proudly on X. Musk seemed to use the achievement to promote his strategic mindset, saying it taught him to “see the matrix” in life’s challenges.
But many players were unconvinced by Musk’s claim. Luiz Felipe Terra da Silva, a 20-year-old gaming content creator from Brazil, noted that the gaming community suspected Musk had exploited a bug in the game. At the time of his run, a glitch in Diablo IV temporarily boosted players’ health, making it easier to clear difficult areas like The Pit.
Speculations of Professional Help
The doubts surrounding Musk’s gaming abilities have even led to jokes suggesting he might have hired professional gamers to play on his behalf. Siqi Chen, CEO of Runway, humorously tweeted that Musk must have employed a team of pro gamers to handle his Diablo IV achievements, claiming their NDAs were “the most airtight on the planet.”
Despite these suspicions, Musk’s accomplishments are still recognized on Helltides.com, a community-driven Diablo IV leaderboard. However, the site’s co-owner, Fayz, pointed out that the rankings are based on user-submitted videos, meaning the leaderboard only represents a fraction of the game’s actual top runs.
“There’s no way for us to know about Pit runs that aren’t recorded and shared,” Fayz explained to The Verge.
Blending Gaming with Business
Musk’s passion for gaming isn’t a secret. In his 2023 biography, journalist Walter Isaacson described Musk as an avid gamer who has sometimes postponed meetings to extend his gaming sessions. Musk believes that strategic games like Polytopia can help improve leadership skills, including the ability to detach from emotions in decision-making.
Interestingly, Musk has also used his gaming activities to promote his business ventures. In one livestream, while playing Diablo IV, a SpaceX staff member briefed him on a rocket launch. Musk has also discussed his plans for X to rival platforms like Twitch, even sharing his ambitions for a revenue-sharing model for content creators.
In 2023, Musk streamed an hour of Diablo IV gameplay on X, testing the platform’s streaming capabilities. Afterward, he shared his admiration for the game, calling it “remarkably complex in interesting ways at max difficulty.”
Despite his official ranking in both Diablo IV and Path of Exile 2, Musk’s gaming feats continue to divide the community. Many players believe that if Musk truly enjoys the games, he should play without resorting to exploits or external help.
“If he loves the game, really, he should just play without these things,” said Silva. “I don’t see the reason to do this because he’s already famous—very famous.”
