Why Was the Journalist Who Reported 'Real Action' by a Musk Fan Account Suspended on X?

Article Refuting the 'Musk Secondary Account Theory' Published
X Account Suspended for 30 Days

There is growing attention as a journalist who wrote a rebuttal article against the suspicion that Elon Musk actually operates the account of 'Adrian Dietman' has had their X account suspended. 'Adrian Dietman' is known as an account of a fervent fan of Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X.

On the 7th, Yonhap News reported that Dietman is a German residing in Fiji. There were considerable suspicions regarding Dietman's online account, claiming that "Dietman's X account praising Musk is a 'sub-account' secretly operated by Musk himself."

On October 29, 2024 (local time), Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, appeared via video at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) event held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center (KAIC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo by Yonhap News.

Additionally, on the 2nd, an image posted by Adrian Dietman sparked suspicions on the overseas site 4chan that he might be Musk's sub-account. Both Musk and Dietman denied these claims.

Subsequently, on the 4th (local time), British freelance journalist Jacqueline Sweet published an article titled "The Real Adrian Dietman" in the UK magazine The Spectator. The main content was that the 'sub-account theory' is not true.

The article included that a person named Dietman living in Fiji actually exists and, as a fervent fan of Musk, posts content introducing Musk-praising businesses. It stated that he is a different individual from Musk himself.

Sweet based her conclusions on X posts, other social media content, deleted content, and analyzed past and current residence information contained in publicly submitted documents, as well as publicly available videos.

At the opening of the lifestyle product warehouse store 'Aquam Insula' held on August 16, 2024, the President of Fiji (center in the photo) is shaking hands with four members of the Dietman family (right in the photo). The Dietman family, who operate Aquam Insula, are known to be ardent fans of Elon Musk. Screenshot from the official YouTube channel video of the Republic of Fiji government.

According to Sweet's article in The Spectator and the local Fiji media outlet Fiji Times, Toralf Dietman, originally from Germany, worked as a software engineer in the past. He settled in Fiji in 2012 through an investment immigration program, bringing his entire family including his wife Silke and son Adrian.

Earlier, in July 2023, Dietman had a public conversation as a fan with Musk on X's real-time chat and streaming service 'X Spaces.' At that time, he mentioned spending his childhood in Gibraltar, living several years in Morocco, and currently residing in Oceania.

The article also presented video evidence proving the existence of a person named Dietman. It was footage from the opening ceremony of a warehouse-style store selling lifestyle products from Akuam Insula on August 16 last year. The event video was produced by the Fiji Republic's Public Relations Department and released on the official YouTube channel of the Fiji government.

After posting the article on the 5th, Sweet wrote on X, "Now people say I am Musk's sub-account, big laugh." Subsequently, Musk replied to Sweet's X account jokingly, "I am Adrian Dietman. It's time the world knew." However, the atmosphere changed afterward. Sweet's X account was suspended for 30 days, and X posts linking to The Spectator article were also deleted.

US broadcaster CNN reported that Sweet posted on Bluesky, a social media platform similar to X, about these developments. X reportedly cited the reason for the account suspension as "posting content that disclosed personal information."

Sweet and The Spectator editorial team refuted this, stating that the article did not include any personal information such as phone numbers, emails, or previously unpublished videos or photos, but only presented information that was already publicly available.