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Elon Musk sent X into a frenzy this week when he changed his profile name to "Kekius Maximus," and his profile photo to an image of Pepe the Frog sporting gladiator armor.
The incident has since sparked curiosity into Elon Musk's reasoning, while some are also wondering who Pepe the Frog is. The green figure was created in 2005 by cartoonist Matt Furie, though, over the years, it has grown into a well-known meme. Per AJC, it has also become a symbol of the Groyper Army, which comprises far-right activists, internet trolls, and white nationalists.
Everything we know about Elon Musk's decision to change his username as the whole debacle remains shrouded in secrecy
In Elon Musk's profile picture, Pepe the Frog can be seen sporting a Roman gladiator armor holding what seems to be a gaming console. As for why he would change his profile picture and what it signifies, the answer remains unclear.
Reportedly, his new profile name, Kekius Maximus, could be an amalgamation of “Maximus Decimus Meridius,” a character played by Russell Crowe from the 2000 film Gladiator, and Kek, a meme linked to Pepe the Frog.
Furthermore, "Kek" is also the name of an ancient Egyptian deity known as the god of darkness, typically portrayed with a frog's head. The latter is used as an expression, and it is popular among the "alt-right" and internet trolls. It is typically used as an alternative to LOL, i.e., Laugh out loud.
Kek also stands as a "virtual white nationalist god," The Daily Sabbah reports, and as the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has pointed out to AFP, Roman male images are heavily used among white nationalist groups. However, the connection to Musk remains inapparent.
The name "Kekius Maximus" also denotes a meme coin, the value of which, following Musk's profile name change, has skyrocketed by a staggering 900%. Some are now speculating that his move was calculated to secretly promote the coin's value. This isn't Musk's first time influencing crypto pricing with his stunts on social media, though, at the time of writing, the same has yet to be confirmed.
Notably, just before he changed his username, the richest man in the world teased his fans with a hint that change was coming:
"Kekius Maximus will soon reach level 80 in hardcore PoE," he tweeted on X.
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Reportedly, PoE stands as a reference to Path of Exile 2, a well-known video game. Elon Musk is known to be an avid player, as just earlier this month, he referred to it as a "hall-of-famer" in a tweet on X.
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