Musk Changes X Account Name and Profile Picture
'Kekius Maximus' Using 'Pepe' Character
Speculation Abounds Over Intent to Shake Cryptocurrency
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of X (formerly Twitter), stirred the related market by changing his X account name to a cryptocurrency name. On the 31st (local time), Musk changed his X account name to "Kekius Maximus." His profile picture was changed to an image of the "Pepe the Frog" character, frequently appearing in online community memes, dressed in Roman battle attire and holding a game console.
Musk replaced his account name and profile picture without any explanation, but his new persona immediately drew people's attention. On the same day, AFP reported, "Speculations range from it being simply for laughs or containing a hidden message, to another disguise attempt to shake the cryptocurrency market, or even a gesture towards online hate groups, sparking conspiracy theories."
The "Pepe the Frog" used as Musk's new profile picture is a character linked to the alt-right, or white supremacy, during Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The alt-right refers to an extreme right-wing movement proposed as an alternative to mainstream Western conservatism in the 21st century. According to AFP, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called Pepe a "hate symbol," and as Pepe-related memes spread online, they were found to be frequently used in contexts of racism, anti-Semitism, or narrow-minded themes.
The exact meaning of "Kekius Maximus" is unknown. The British BBC explained, "'Kek' appears to be used like Latin," adding, "Among gamers, it has almost the same meaning as 'laugh out loud' (lol), but nowadays it often appears in far-right online communities." Kek is also the name of an ancient Egyptian god symbolizing chaos and darkness, sometimes depicted with a frog's head.
Musk has previously influenced the cryptocurrency market by mentioning meme coins such as Dogecoin and Shiba Inu, which are cryptocurrencies created for fun reflecting online trends. Notably, when he praised Dogecoin and was appointed as the head of the government efficiency department (DOGE) tasked with reducing government spending under the next Trump administration, Dogecoin's price surged. According to the CoinGecko site, following Musk's account name change, the value of the meme coin "Kekius Maximus" also soared by more than 900% as of that evening.
However, AFP noted, "Although rumors have long circulated that Musk has established himself as a major player in the cryptocurrency market through social media, it is unclear whether he is connected to any specific meme coin."
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