--- title: "Elon Musk Reportedly Thought His Ex-Girlfriend Might Have Been a Simulation" description: "Which is worse: the concept that Elon Musk thought his now-ex Grimes was a simulation of his \"perfect companion,\" or that she agreed with him?" date: "2022-10-18" modified: "2022-10-18" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-grimes-simulation" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "grimes" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Reportedly Thought His Ex-Girlfriend Might Have Been a Simulation ![Which is worse: the concept that Elon Musk thought his now-ex Grimes was a simulation of his "perfect companion," or that she agreed with him?]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Girlfriend Simulation Which is worse: the concept that Elon Musk thought his now-ex and acclaimed musician Claire "Grimes" Boucher was a simulation of his "perfect companion" — or that she agreed with him? That sci-fi-inspired question is at the heart of one of the weirder anecdotes from a recent episode of the *BBC*'s docuseries about the world's richest man titled "[The Elon Musk Show]()." In this particular episode — a synopsis of which was [published by *Cosmopolitan*]() — filmmakers explored Musk's relationship with Grimes, who is also the mother of his infamously-named children [X Æ A-12]() and [Exa Dark Sideræl](), or "Y" for short. ## She's Not Real When American author Devin Gordon spoke to Boucher for the docuseries, things got, well, about as weird as one would expect. "She told me repeatedly that Musk has this theory of her that she’s not real," Gordon said in the episode, "that she’s a simulation who was created by him and exists in his cerebral cortex as sort of the perfect companion to him." The author admitted that the whole concept "sounds a little crazy and maybe even a little creepy" — "except, she agrees with it." "She said she does feel like this simulation which was perfectly created for him," Gordon said. "Her interests are all the same as his and her music is very technologically oriented." Indeed, the author added that when speaking to the pair separately, "both made a similar nerdy joke about a scary AI theory of the future." ## How Romantic The whole thing would almost be romantic if one forgets the fact that the duo [broke up last September](). When [Boucher began dating]() whistleblower-turned-[DJ Chelsea Manning](), Musk also posted [a seemingly transphobic meme]() in what could be read as a dig at Manning's transgender identity. Since then, things have remained complicated. Boucher referred to Musk as her "boyfriend," who she sees "all the time" in a [*Vanity Fair* interview]() back in April, despite living "in separate houses." All the same, the two still seem like a match made in "The Matrix" — and maybe one day, they'll get back together to have [more babies via surrogate](). **More on Musk:** *[Elon Musk Warns "Civilization is Over" if Ukraine Doesn't Give in to Russia]()* ## 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]()