--- title: "We Regret To Inform You That Elon Musk, Unfortunately, Knows About “Goblin Mode”" description: "It's bad enough that Elon Musk has become Twitter's largest shareholder — but now he's gone \"goblin mode\" too? What's going on?" date: "2022-04-12" modified: "2022-04-12" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-goblin-mode" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "memes" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # We Regret To Inform You That Elon Musk, Unfortunately, Knows About “Goblin Mode” ![]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## A La Mode It's bad enough that [Elon Musk has become Twitter's largest shareholder]() — but now he's gone **"**goblin mode**"** too? In a since-deleted tweet, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO posted an uncredited meme of the "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" lawyer character Saul Goodman, with the caption: "In all fairness your honor, my client was in 'goblin mode.'" ![A screenshot of an Elon Musk tweet which features Saul Goodman of "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" with a caption that reads "In all fairness your honor, my client was in goblin mode."]() For those living in blessed ignorance, "goblin mode" is a [comedic term]() for giving up on hygiene and normal social interaction. It hit the mainstream last month, when [a later-debunked article]() claimed that Kanye West's then-girlfriend [Julia Fox]() said that the Chicago rapper didn't like it when she "went goblin mode." Though Fox claims to have never actually said anything about going goblin mode, the term clearly struck a chord. Its meaning is quite subjective, but generally invokes images of a slobby, depressed person, who isn't interested in maintaining their appearance — y'know, like a goblin. Is Musk suggesting he has entered a similarly disheveled and unkempt state, excusing his latest [erratic behavior]()? First, he announced he had [joined Twitter's board]() — only to [back off a day later](). ## Implicating At the very least, he's signaling familiarity with the concept. And to be fair, he *has* previously claimed to live in a [small prefab box](), and has been known to [sleep under his desk]() and [wear the same outfit day after day](). But perhaps it's best not to read too far into it. For one, Musk [posting stolen memes]() is par for the course. But the timing of this specific tweet — a mere day after he declined to join Twitter's board of directors following his [purchase of nine percent stock in the company]() — has suggested to institutions [as storied as *The New York Times*]() that it may have a deeper meaning. *Axios*' analysis also concluded that "[Musk's 'goblin mode' is here to stay]()" after he refused the seat at the table. More likely than not, Musk just posted the meme because he saw and thought it was funny — the same way any of us who are inclined to post memes would. But because he's the world's richest man, the CEO of multiple high-powered businesses and, now, Twitter's largest shareholder, everyone's [looking at his shitposts with a microscope]() — which is probably exactly what he wants us to do. **More on Musk:** *[There's a Very Interesting Theory About Why Elon Musk Bought 9% of Twitter]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()