In 2022, Vivian, the daughter of tech billionaire Elon Musk, made headlines when she turned 18 and went to court to legally change her name. In her court petition, she expressed her desire to sever all ties with her biological father, stating, “I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape, or form.”

Two years later, in a 2024 interview with psychologist Jordan Peterson, Musk opened up about the estrangement from his daughter, claiming that he had essentially “lost” her. He attributed their rift to what he referred to as the “woke mind virus,” suggesting that Vivian had been influenced by certain ideologies that led to their estrangement.

Further fueling the controversy, Musk took to his social media platform, X, in July of that year to make claims about Vivian’s sexual orientation and neurodiversity. He stated that Vivian was born gay and slightly autistic, which he believed contributed to her gender dysphoria. Musk recalled instances from Vivian’s childhood, such as her love for fashion and theater, as evidence of her true identity.

In response to her father’s statements, Vivian refuted his claims, stating, “He doesn’t know what I was like as a child because he quite simply wasn’t there. And in the little time that he was, I was relentlessly harassed for my femininity and queerness.” She emphasized the importance of her own autonomy and self-expression, separate from her father’s perceptions.