Elon Musk, the ever-enigmatic owner of X (formerly Twitter), has once again stirred curiosity among users by changing his profile name to “Gorklon Rust” on Sunday. Known for his quirky online antics and meme-laced updates, Musk’s latest alias has left netizens speculating about its true meaning.
The name “Gorklon” is likely a playful nod to Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, and integrated into the X platform. Meanwhile, “Rust” is thought to reference the Rust programming language, which is used within xAI’s tech stack, signaling Musk’s penchant for embedding tech inside jokes into his online persona.
But wait—there’s a twist. “Gorklon Rust” isn’t just a tech pun. It also appears to reference a Solana blockchain meme coin of the same name, currently being traded on decentralized platforms like PumpSwap, Raydium, and Meteora. This fusion of AI, programming, and crypto humor aligns with Musk’s pattern of blending his interests into his public persona.
This isn’t the first time Musk has changed his display name in cryptic fashion. In February, he briefly switched to “Harry Bolz,” and in December, he adopted “Kekius Maximus”—a blend of internet memes and a nod to Maximus, the iconic character played by Russell Crowe in Gladiator.
The name change comes shortly after Musk announced a major overhaul of X’s recommendation algorithm. On Saturday, he revealed that artificial intelligence will now play a more central role in how content is served, with a lightweight version of Grok being embedded into the system to enhance the user experience.
Responding to rising concerns over engagement farming and impersonation among verified accounts, Musk assured users that significant improvements are on the way. As always, when Musk makes a move—be it algorithmic or absurd—it sends ripples through the digital world.