In yet another display of his unpredictable social media persona, tech billionaire Elon Musk has once again transformed his identity on X (formerly Twitter), reviving his “Kekius Maximus” alter ego and setting off a frenzy across both the meme world and cryptocurrency markets.
On Friday, May 17, the world’s richest man abandoned his briefly held “Gorklon Rust” moniker to resurrect “Kekius Maximus,” complete with a new profile picture showing himself in gladiator-style armor with “Emperor Kekius Maximus” emblazoned across it. This marks the second time Musk has adopted this particular persona, following a similar change in December 2024 when he used an image of “Pepe the Frog” in golden armor.
The name “Kekius Maximus” cleverly combines internet gaming culture with classical references. “Kek” originated as a variation of “lol” (laugh out loud) in World of Warcraft gaming circles and evolved into a term popular in meme culture. The “Maximus” portion likely references Russell Crowe’s heroic character from the film Gladiator, creating what essentially translates to “the ultimate meme lord.”
Within hours, social media erupted with memes celebrating the return of “Emperor Kekius,” while cryptocurrency markets experienced dramatic fluctuations. The Ethereum-based memecoin KEKIUS skyrocketed by over 145% initially, with some reports indicating gains as high as 273% by Saturday morning. This remarkable surge demonstrates Musk’s continued influence over cryptocurrency valuations through seemingly casual social media activities.
This isn’t Musk’s first foray into affecting crypto markets through name changes. Just days earlier, his “Gorklon Rust” persona (a blend of his AI chatbot “Grok” and the programming language “Rust”) sent the GORK token soaring by approximately 100%.
Cryptocurrency experts warn about the volatility of such meme-based tokens, noting how KEKIUS previously plummeted when Musk returned to his original profile after his December name change. Despite these warnings, major exchanges including Gate.io and MEXC have listed the token.
As the internet continues to dissect Musk’s latest identity shift, one thing remains clear: in the worlds of social media, memes, and cryptocurrency, few individuals possess the power to trigger such widespread reaction with a simple profile update as “Emperor Kekius Maximus.”
