Elon Musk is the king of the "troll" rebrand. Honestly, if you’ve been following his social media antics lately, you’ve probably noticed his profile name changes more often than most people change their oil. From Kekius Maximus to Harry Bōlz, the billionaire seems to be treating his own multi-billion dollar platform like a giant Discord server.
People get confused. Is he legally changing his name? Is it a marketing stunt for a new crypto coin? Or is he just bored between SpaceX launches?
Basically, it's usually a mix of all three. But the "Elon Musk new name" frenzy isn't just about a display name. It’s about how he uses his massive reach to move markets and mess with the media.
The Mystery of Kekius Maximus and the Pepe Gladiator
In late 2024, Musk pulled one of his most bizarre moves yet. He ditched "Elon Musk" on X and replaced it with Kekius Maximus. He didn't just stop at the name; he swapped his profile picture for a gladiator-style Pepe the Frog.
If you aren’t steeped in internet lore, "Kek" is basically gamer-speak for "LOL." By Latinizing it to Kekius Maximus, Musk was leaning hard into the meme-lord persona he’s cultivated over the last decade. Some people thought it was a nod to Path of Exile 2, a game he’s been obsessively playing—he even tweeted about reaching "level 80 in hardcore PoE" around the same time.
But there’s always a money trail. Almost immediately after the change, a memecoin called Kekius Maximus (KEKIUS) saw its trading volume explode to over $2.7 million. This is a classic Musk pattern: change a name, post a meme, and watch the crypto markets lose their minds.
📖 Related: Sweden School Shooting 2025: What Really Happened at Campus Risbergska
Was He Ever "Harry Bōlz"?
Yes. For a brief, confusing window in early 2025, Musk changed his display name to Harry Bōlz.
It’s a middle-school level pun. You’ve probably heard it before. But coming from the man running a global satellite network and a revolutionary car company, it felt surreal. He paired this particular name change with cryptic hints about stepping away from politics once his work with the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) was done.
Most analysts saw it as a distraction technique. Whenever Musk is facing legal heat or a tough quarter at Tesla, he tends to do something "loud" on X to pivot the conversation.
The "Adrian Dittmann" Identity Crisis
One of the weirdest chapters in the "Elon Musk new name" saga isn't a display name change, but a secret identity. For over a year, rumors swirled that Musk was operating a burner account under the name Adrian Dittmann.
Why did people think this?
👉 See also: Will Palestine Ever Be Free: What Most People Get Wrong
- The Voice: Dittmann frequently appeared in X Spaces, and his voice was—no joke—identical to Elon’s. Same South African lilt, same staccato delivery.
- The Content: The account spent 24/7 defending Musk’s business decisions and arguing with his critics.
- The Slip-ups: In one recorded session, "Adrian" accidentally used the first person ("I") when talking about Musk's private conversations.
Then, on January 5, 2025, Musk went full chaos mode. He tweeted, “I am Adrian Dittmann. It’s time the world knew.”
Was he serious? Probably not. An investigation by The Spectator actually tracked down a real German entrepreneur named Adrian Dittmann living in Fiji. It turns out Musk might have just been trolling the investigators by "claiming" the identity of someone who actually sounds like him. It’s a meta-troll.
Why the Constant Rebranding Matters
You might think it’s just a billionaire having a mid-life crisis online. But the Elon Musk new name phenomenon has actual consequences for the platform.
Breaking the "Twitter" Brand
In January 2026, X finally pulled the plug on the official @twitter handle, suspending it temporarily to move everyone toward the X identity. Musk has been trying to kill the "bird" imagery for years. He’s argued that "Twitter" made sense for 140-character messages, but doesn't fit his vision of an "everything app" that handles banking, long-form video, and AI.
By constantly changing his own name, he’s training the user base to expect the unexpected. It’s a psychological tactic to make the platform feel like a living, shifting entity rather than a static utility.
✨ Don't miss: JD Vance River Raised Controversy: What Really Happened in Ohio
SEO and Market Manipulation
Every time he changes his name, "Elon Musk" trends. This keeps him at the top of the Google News cycle without him having to spend a dime on PR.
- Search Volume: Millions of people search for the new name within hours.
- Engagement: It forces people to check his profile to see if it’s real.
- Algorithmic Boost: X’s own algorithm prioritizes accounts with high engagement velocity.
Practical Takeaways: What You Should Actually Care About
Don't get distracted by the puns. If you're looking at Musk's name changes to understand where he's going next, look at the intent behind the memes.
- Watch the Tech: Names like Gorklon Rust (another of his aliases) usually signal shifts in xAI or the programming languages Tesla is using.
- Ignore the Legal Panic: Despite the memes, Elon Musk’s legal name remains Elon Reeve Musk. There are no court filings in California or Texas suggesting a permanent, legal change.
- Crypto Caution: Never buy a coin just because Elon changed his name to a pun. These are high-volatility events where "retail" investors usually get left holding the bag.
The reality? The "new name" is just another tool in the Musk toolbox—part marketing, part shield, and part pure, unadulterated boredom.
If you want to stay ahead of the next name change, keep an eye on his activity during "Path of Exile" updates or major SpaceX milestones. That's usually when the "troll" comes out to play. Focus on his SEC filings and Tesla earnings reports for the real news, and treat the X display name as the entertainment it's meant to be.