Meta and YouTube have reversed their earlier decisions and will now run advertisements for Alex Gibney’s upcoming documentary titled “Musk,” which examines Elon Musk’s life and career. This comes after reports that multiple social media platforms, including TikTok, Meta, YouTube, and X, had initially declined to accept paid ads promoting the film’s trailer. Meta acknowledged this was an error and confirmed the ads are being reinstated, while YouTube clarified that although the ad was temporarily restricted, it has now been approved to run.

The documentary, directed by Alex Gibney, who is known for acclaimed films like “Going Clear” and “The Inventor,” premiered earlier this month at the Venice International Film Festival and has received widespread critical acclaim. The film explores Musk’s technological ventures, political alliances, and personal relationships, featuring interviews with figures such as Musk’s ex-wife Justine Musk and former influencer Ashley St. Clair. It currently holds a perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is slated for a U.S. theatrical release on October 9.

The initial rejections appeared to relate to the platforms’ policies on political content advertising. Meta, TikTok, and YouTube reportedly flagged the documentary ads as political, despite the film being a documentary and not a political campaign. Meanwhile, X’s refusal to run the ads was not surprising given Elon Musk’s ownership of the platform and his recent disparaging remarks about director Gibney. The film’s U.S. distributor, Bleecker Street, has appealed the ad rejections, leading to the changes at Meta and YouTube.

Universal Pictures, the international distributor, has shown hesitancy in promoting the documentary overseas, reportedly out of concern for backlash from the Trump administration due to the film’s content. Nevertheless, Universal has confirmed plans to release "Musk" in theaters internationally, though the overall distribution strategy remains undecided. The evolving stance of social media platforms on the documentary’s advertising highlights the complexities surrounding content moderation and political sensitivity in the digital advertising space.