The BBC reports that Elon Musk, known as the richest person in the world, has changed his name on X (formerly Twitter) to "Kekius Maximus." He also changed his profile picture to show Pepe the Frog, an Internet meme character, dressed as a Roman soldier holding a gaming device. Musk, a close friend of President-elect Donald Trump, did not explain why he made these changes.
The username change had an unexpected effect on cryptocurrency markets. A digital coin that shares the same name as Musk's new username suddenly became much more valuable. While Musk has previously affected cryptocurrency prices with his social media posts, it is not known if he has any connection to this particular digital currency.
The BBC explains that the name "Kekius" comes from the word "kek," which gamers use to mean "laugh out loud." However, this term has since become popular with far-right groups. Kek is also the name of an ancient Egyptian god of darkness, who was sometimes shown as having a frog's head. The "Maximus" part of the name might be referring to the main character from the movie “Gladiator,” named Maximus Decimus Meridius, played by Russell Crowe.
The profile picture Musk chose shows Pepe the Frog wearing Roman military clothes and holding what looks like a video game controller. The BBC notes that Pepe the Frog also is used by extreme right-wing groups.
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