Elon Musk, the enigmatic entrepreneur and owner of what was once known as Twitter, recently found himself in an unexpected spotlight during the world championship final of the popular esport Valorant. Attendees were surprised when Musk made an unannounced appearance at the KIA Forum in Los Angeles, only to be met with a chorus of boos and a fervent chant echoing, “Bring back Twitter.”
User Jake Lucky posted a video of Musk’s brief visit on social media, and it immediately gained popularity and more than 7 million views. The poorly lit footage shows analysts analyzing the current match before abruptly switching to Musk in the crowd, who appeared to be applauding for only four seconds. Boos continued long after the program switched back to the game action as a result of the quick and overwhelmingly unfavorable reaction from the live crowd.
Unknown which of his nine children attended the ceremony with him, Musk was spotted posing for pictures outside the arena with his son by his side. Online users made fun of the controversial figure’s quick and unexpected presence, which caught their attention.
Musk had earlier announced his decision to rebrand Twitter as “X” in July, a move met with significant backlash. This rebranding effort even led to the temporary blocking of the platform in Indonesia due to violations of anti-porn and gambling laws. Industry analysts and brand experts criticized the move, projecting potential losses ranging from $4 billion to $20 billion in the company’s overall value. Surprisingly, however, major brands have largely overlooked the rebrand, as only one of the top 25 advertisers in the US has adopted the new “X” symbol, as reported by Insider.
Despite the rebrand’s controversy and Musk’s divisive reputation, his attendance at the esports championship garnered a ton of media attention. With more than 3 million people watching the live tournament broadcast on Twitch, it is clear that Musk’s actions continue to captivate and elicit responses from a sizable audience, both online and offline. At the time this article was published, Musk had not yet responded to Insider’s request for comment.