Global billionaire Elon Musk has sparked speculation after changing his social media handle X to “Kekius Maximus.”
The tech mogul – and close confidant of US President-elect Donald Trump – did not immediately explain the name or his new profile picture, which depicts Pepe the Frog, a meme used by far-right groups.
The change sent shockwaves through the cryptocurrency world, sending the price of memecoin – a digital currency inspired by internet memes – that shares the same name soaring.
Musk has previously influenced crypto prices with his social media comments, but it was not immediately clear whether he had any involvement in this particular memecoin.
“Kekius” appears to be a Latinized form of “kek,” a word roughly equivalent to “laugh out loud,” popular with gamers but now often associated with the alt-right.
“Kek” is also the name of the ancient Egyptian god of darkness, who was sometimes depicted with a frog’s head.
Many will associate “Maximus” with the name of Russell Crowe’s hero character in the movie Gladiator, Maximus Decimus Meridius.
Musk’s new profile picture shows Pepe in Roman soldier garb, holding what appears to be a game console.
