Elon Musk’s mystery ‘Kekius Maximus’ moniker maxes out speculation

Elon Musk adopted the moniker ‘Kekius Maximus’ on X on New Year’s Eve, sparking speculation that his mysterious new handle is a mash-up of an alt-right symbol, a memecoin and the lead character of the movie Gladiator.

Elon Musk, with his son, stands alongside president-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump during Tuesday's New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago.

Elon Musk adopted the moniker “Kekius Maximus” on X on New Year’s Eve, 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.

The world’s richest person 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 tech mogul and owner of X ­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? Was it a wink and a nod to online hate groups?

Mr Musk and X did not immediately 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.

“Kek” is also a reference to a “virtual white nationalist god”, the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Centre said, adding that Roman male images have been used by white nationalist groups such as Identity Evropa.

Pepe the Frog was originally a cartoon character from the Boy’s Club comic series, but during Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign it became associated with the alt-right and white supremacists, with the Anti-Defamation League dubbing it a “hate symbol”.

In the wake of Mr Musk’s handle change, the memecoin Kekius Maximus’s value soared by more than 900 per cent, according to the site CoinGecko.

AFP