Inflatable Elon Musk Protest Targets SpaceX IPO in Times Square

A significant inflatable figure depicting Elon Musk was displayed in Times Square on Thursday, June 11, serving as a protest against SpaceX. The demonstration occurred one day before the company's highly anticipated initial public offering, scheduled for June 12, which is projected to be the largest in history. The shirtless, smiling effigy featured prominent tattoos, one alleging that "SpaceX's Grok makes AI child porn," and another on the bicep depicting a heart and the word "ketamine."

The protest was organized by Safe AI Now (SAIN), a coalition identifying itself as including faith leaders and child-safety organizations. SAIN stated its intention was to warn potential SpaceX investors. The group claimed that Musk developed a "dangerous and exploitative AI," covered up damages, merged it with SpaceX, and is now offering this liability to the public at $135 per share, making shareholders responsible for potential legal and regulatory issues. SAIN indicated the inflatable would remain on display until 7 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The accusation against Grok, xAI's chatbot acquired by SpaceX, references prior claims that it generated sexual images of children. In response to such complaints in January, Musk stated that individuals using Grok for illegal content would face consequences similar to uploading illegal content. The official X platform also affirmed a "zero tolerance" policy for child sexual exploitation. SpaceX's S-1 filing, submitted last month, acknowledged Grok's not-safe-for-work (NSFW) capabilities could present "heightened risks" and "reputational harm," potentially generating "nonconsensual or exploitative imagery."

Musk dismissed the protest as "totally false" when responding to an X thread about the inflatable. The "ketamine" tattoo on the inflatable references Musk's 2024 statement about taking a small amount of ketamine every other week for mental health. SpaceX is expected to raise $75 billion through its IPO, pushing its valuation to $1.75 trillion.

This event follows a similar large-scale protest in the summer of 2025, when a sculpture of the Tesla CEO appeared in national parks. That protest was reportedly in response to cuts to the National Park Service, attributed to a White House office called DOGE, which the article states was spearheaded by Musk.

According to Business Insider, SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment regarding the Times Square protest.