All hail ‘Kekius Maximus’: Elon Musk changes his name…, on X. Elon Musk’s ‘ribbiting’ new name sends crypto hopping.
Credit: Shutterstock, Frederic Legrand – COMEO
It’s all change once again in the wild world of Elon Musk, as the Tesla tycoon and owner of social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has bewildered fans by adopting the outlandish moniker ‘Kekius Maximus.’ The rebrand surfaced just hours ago, leaving followers croaking with questions – and sending certain corners of the cryptocurrency market into a frenzy.
Musk’s abrupt transformation was spotted on X, where his new username and a freshly-minted profile pic caused jaws to drop across cyberspace. The image features Pepe the Frog – a meme often linked to far-right circles – clad in Roman military garb and clutching what appears to be a game console. Musk, who is a trusted confidant of US President-Elect Donald Trump, offered no immediate explanation for his amphibian attire.
Memecoin fans hopped for joy as a frog-themed cryptocurrency linked to the meme soared in value following the billionaire’s online transformation. In previous instances, Musk’s cryptic tweets have sent digital currencies soaring or plummeting – though no connection to this particular token has been confirmed. Still, the very whiff of Musk’s interest proved enough to fuel speculative purchasing sprees.
‘Kekius’ likely derives from ‘kek’, the online gamer version of ‘laugh out loud’ – but it also boasts darker associations. ‘Kek’ is the name of an ancient Egyptian god of darkness often portrayed with the head of a frog. Over time, the phrase ‘kek’ has gained ties to the alt-right, lending Musk’s choice of profile pic a froggy frisson of controversy.
Meanwhile, ‘Maximus’ is bound to inspire thoughts of Russell Crowe’s iconic swords-and-sandals warrior, Maximus Decimus Meridius from Gladiator. Paired with Pepe’s Roman get-up, Musk’s new persona seems poised to conquer more than just the Twittersphere.
No stranger to spectacle, when Elon Musk leaps, the internet follows. Whether ‘Kekius Maximus’ is merely a tongue-in-cheek reference to geek culture or a playful nod to ancient deities remains unclear. But one thing’s for certain: Elon – or should we say Kekius Maximus– never fails to keep us on the edge of our lily pads.
Find more news from around the UK.
Read more news in English from around Europe.
