Billionaire Elon Musk has once again found himself in the spotlight, but this time it’s not for his technological innovations—it’s for allegations of design plagiarism.
Alex Proyas, the director of the 2004 sci-fi film I, Robot, has accused Musk of borrowing the film’s iconic designs for Tesla’s latest creations, including its humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles. Proyas took to social media platform X to express his frustration, posting: “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?”
The filmmaker’s post, which has garnered over 6.4 million views, reflects his belief that Tesla’s designs bear a striking resemblance to those in I, Robot. In the 2004 film, Proyas, with the help of a talented design team, crafted a vision of the future where androids are integrated into society, raising questions about their trustworthiness. The comparisons between Tesla’s robots and the film’s aesthetic are hard to ignore, according to Proyas.
In a subsequent comment on Instagram, Proyas further criticized Tesla’s design team, suggesting that they lacked originality. “Elon Musk, on the other hand, has a not-so-talented design team who watched a lot of movies, including I, Robot it seems,” he remarked.
Adding weight to Proyas’ claims, I, Robot’s production designer Patrick Tatopoulos reposted a side-by-side comparison of the film’s robots and Tesla’s Optimus models on Instagram. He humorously questioned whether he should be “honored” that Elon Musk might have found inspiration in his designs.
Despite the director’s claims, many online users have pointed out that Proyas’ film itself borrows heavily from earlier sci-fi works. Some X users responded to his accusations with images of the iconic 1927 cyborg from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, suggesting that robot design in cinema has long been influenced by past creations.
Proyas’ accusations have refueled the debate over whether modern tech companies are directly inspired by science fiction. Tesla’s futuristic designs and gadgets often seem to mirror the visions portrayed in iconic films and novels.
Elon Musk has never shied away from acknowledging his love for sci-fi. He has openly cited Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as an influence, particularly the melancholic humanoid robot Marvin the Paranoid Android. Tesla’s Cybertruck, Musk has said, looks like “an armored personnel carrier from the future,” something you’d expect to see in Bladerunner.