In a surprise move, billionaire Elon Musk altered his profile name on X to “Kekius Maximus” on Tuesday (Dec 31) which sparked a flurry of reactions from his followers on social media.

Advertisment

He also changed his profile avatar to an image of the popular character, Pepe the Frog, clad in Roman attire and holding a video game joystick.

This sudden change of tech mogul's username and password sparked chaos in the cryptocurrency market, causing the value of a meme coin sharing the same name to surge dramatically.

Netizens were seen looking for answers, asking questions about whether the change was only for laughs or was another trick by US President-elect Donald Trump's confidant to shake up the cryptocurrency markets.

Advertisment

Also read: Elon Musk changes name on X; call him 'Kekius Maximus' now

Decoding 'Kekius Maximus'

Musk watchers on the internet have suggested that the new username and avatar appear to be a mix of "Maximus Decimus Meridius", a Roman general played by Russell Crowe in the 2000 hit movie "Gladiator", whereas "kek" is an expression that is widely used by trollers online as an alternate for "LOL" (laugh out loud).

Advertisment

"Kek" is also a reference to a "virtual white nationalist god," said the news agency AFP citing the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

Pepe the Frog is a cartoon character from the "Boy's Club" comic series.

This popular comic character was associated with the alt-right and white supremacists, with the Anti-Defamation League dubbing it a "hate symbol" during Trump's first tenure as the POTUS.

"The majority of uses of Pepe the Frog have been, and continue to be, non-bigoted," the ADL wrote on its website.

However, as it went viral, the meme was centred on "racist, antisemitic or other bigoted themes," the ADL added.

"Manipulators can twist anything to give a wink and a nod to a sub-culture of online hate while claiming ignorance," the SPLC said.

"The use of the meme and name is indicative of the continued online culture that claims hateful ideas are simply jokes. Hate is not a joke."

Musk before giving a new look to his profile, posted a teaser on X saying, "Kekius Maximus will soon reach level 80 in hardcore PoE."

PoE is an apparent reference to the popular "Path of Exile 2" video game.

(With inputs from agencies)