--- title: "Jeffrey Epstein Associate Reportedly Asked Elon Musk If It Was Possible to Scrub Someone From the Internet" description: "Elon Musk claimed that a photo with Ghislaine Maxwell was the result of her just photobombing him at a party. That might not have been the full truth." date: "2022-10-12" modified: "2022-10-12" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/epstein-associate-elon-musk-if-scrub-internet" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "ghislaine maxwell" - "jeffrey epstein" - "the digest" --- # Jeffrey Epstein Associate Reportedly Asked Elon Musk If It Was Possible to Scrub Someone From the Internet ![Elon Musk claimed that a photo with Ghislaine Maxwell was the result of her just photobombing him at a party. That might not have been the full truth.]() *\Image: Kevin Mazur/VF14/WireImage\* ## Photobomber Remember the time that Elon Musk [tweeted that]() his 2014 photo with Jeffrey Epstein enabler Ghislaine Maxwell was the result of her having "photobombed" him at a *Vanity Fair* party? Turns out Musk might have left out a few details. To recap, the years-old photo had resurfaced back in 2020, during the windfall of high-profile arrests, allegations, and disturbing revelations — including about Maxwell, who was [sentenced to prison for sex trafficking]() in June — that followed Epstein's July 2019 arrest. At the time, actual law enforcement officers and netizen sleuths alike were busy trying to connect the many diabolic dots of Epstein's network of abuse, so when that 2014 picture cropped up, the SpaceX founder immediately attempted to distance himself. "Don't know Ghislaine at all," the billionaire wrote back in July 2020. "She photobombed me once at a *Vanity Fair* party several years ago. Real question is why \[*Vanity Fair*\] invited her in the first place." But [according to new reporting from *The New York Times*](), those claims are now in doubt. Per a staffer who was at the soirée and took notes on the conversation, the two had a whole chat about aliens, humans living in a simulation, and — oh yeah — *scrubbing oneself from the internet.* ## Selective Truth To be fair, it was Maxwell who allegedly ask Musk if it was possible to completely erase someone from the online world — which, if you're a soon-to-be convicted sex trafficker who helped funnel underage girls into a network of systemic sexual abuse, might definitely be something you'd want to do. Musk reportedly responded with skepticism, and the conversation divulged into the more Musk-ian topics of aliens and simulations from there. And also, to be clear, we're not promoting any Musk x Epstein x Maxwell conspiracies. Epstein and Maxwell rubbed shoulders with swathes of the world's wealthiest, both famous and not — it was probably inevitable that they mingled, and apart from the *Vanity Fair* photo, [unconfirmed claims of a SpaceX tour](), and an [alleged link]() between Musk's younger brother Kimbal Musk and Epstein, there's nothing substantial to support a deeper link between the two. By [several accounts](), though, Musk had an acquaintanceship with both figures that was a bit more involved than the Tesla CEO would seemingly care to recall. His former narrative of that photo was certainly convenient — but it sounds like it may have been a bit of a selective truth. **READ MORE:** *[Elon Musk Has the World']()**[s Strangest Social Calendar]()* \[*The New York Times*\] **More on recent Elon behavior:** *Elon Musk Says He Has Not Been Talking to Putin, Thank You Very Much* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()