At a Venice Film Festival press conference, Ashley St. Clair, an ex-partner of Elon Musk, discussed her decision to turn down a reported $40 million non-disclosure agreement so she could appear in Alex Gibney's new documentary "Musk". St. Clair, who gave birth to Musk's 13th child last year, said accepting the payout would have compromised her ability to speak freely, and she wanted to set an example for her children about prioritising truth over financial comfort.

The nearly four-hour documentary, which premieres on Tuesday, examines Musk's outsised influence and, according to Gibney, reveals him as "little more than the 21st-century reincarnation of a confidence man." Musk, whose net worth is estimated at $900 billion, declined to be interviewed and has previously dismissed the film as a "hit piece". St. Clair, now 28, also reflected on her past as a right-wing commentator who promoted anti-trans views, attributing it to youthful naivety after meeting Charlie Kirk at 18, while both she and Gibney described Musk as lacking empathy and deliberately avoiding it.