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Elon Musk modified his X account identify to Harry Bōlz on Tuesday, marking the second time he has adopted this alias. The billionaire had briefly used the identical deal with in April 2023. His newest stunt comes simply hours after experiences emerged {that a} Musk-led consortium of traders has positioned a bid to take management of OpenAI.
The 53-year-old, who heads the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE), is at the moment making cuts throughout a number of federal companies in an effort to cut back authorities spending.
What Does Harry Bōlz Imply?
Musk probably used the identify as a play on phrases, referencing the slang time period ‘furry balls’. Whereas the rationale behind his newest identify change stays unclear, Musk beforehand defined the joke in a tweet again in 2023.
Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and proprietor of X (previously Twitter), is well-known for his unpredictable and infrequently humorous on-line behaviour. Amongst his many quirks is a behavior of adjusting his show identify on the platform, generally as a joke and different instances as a cryptic nod to web tradition. Whereas Musk has altered his identify a number of instances, two notable situations stand out—his temporary use of “Harry Bōlz” in April 2023 and “Kekius Maximus” in December 2024.
April 2023: The ‘Harry Bōlz’ Incident
In April 2023, Musk modified his show identify on X to “Harry Bōlz.” On the time, the reasoning behind this transfer was not instantly clear. Nevertheless, it was extensively interpreted as a joke, enjoying on the phonetic similarity to “furry balls,” a slang time period typically utilized in web humour.
Musk is not any stranger to wordplay and web memes, often partaking in on-line jokes and trolling. His use of “Harry Bōlz” match effectively inside his typical method to social media, the place he enjoys posting lighthearted, and generally controversial, content material. This identify change additionally adopted a interval of heightened consideration on Musk’s administration of X, as he had taken over the platform in late 2022 and made a number of sweeping modifications, together with layoffs and coverage updates.
Whereas Musk didn’t present an in depth clarification for the identify change on the time, he later addressed it in a tweet, confirming that it was certainly a joke. The identify was short-lived, as Musk rapidly reverted to his regular show identify.
December 2024: ‘Kekius Maximus’ and Web Subcultures
On December 31, 2024, Musk as soon as once more modified his show identify, this time to “Kekius Maximus.” Alongside the identify change, he up to date his profile image to a picture of Pepe the Frog dressed as a Roman gladiator.
The time period “Kekius Maximus” is a reference to “kek,” a time period popularised in on-line gaming and web meme tradition. Originating from World of Warcraft, “kek” turned related to web communities, significantly these engaged in political memes and satire. The identify “Maximus” is a reference to historic Roman tradition, evoking the title of a robust normal or emperor.
By adopting “Kekius Maximus,” Musk was making a playful nod to those web subcultures. The transfer sparked dialogue amongst his followers, as some noticed it as a lighthearted joke, whereas others speculated that Musk was aligning himself with sure meme-driven on-line actions. His use of Pepe the Frog, a personality that has been extensively utilized in memes throughout totally different communities, added one other layer of interpretation to his show identify change.
Why Does Musk Change His Title?
Musk’s tendency to vary his show identify on X aligns together with his broader on-line persona. He has typically embraced web tradition, meme humour, and trolling, utilizing X as a platform to have interaction together with his followers in an off-the-cuff and infrequently unpredictable method. His identify modifications seem to serve a number of functions:
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