After changing his name on his social media platform X to “Kekius Maximus,” the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has prompted rumors.
The tech mogul – and close friend of US President-Elect Donald Trump – was mum on the name or new profile picture, which shows Pepe-the-frog, who has become a symbol associated with far-right groups.
The move set ripples in the cryptocurrency world, taking the price of a memecoin – a digital currency inspired by internet memes referring to the same – to an ultimate high.
Earlier, Mr Musk has influenced crypto prices by his social commentaries, but not much is known at present if he is involved in this particular memecoin.
“Kekius” appears to be almost a Latinate version of the expression, “kek”, which originated from an online game but was at one time broadly popularized by alt-right culture within the gamer community. In its strictest sense, it translates to “laugh out loud.”
“Kek” is the designation given to a deity of darkness from ancient Egyptian mythology, and his representation bears some resemblance to the features of a frog.
To many, “Maximus” would be the name of Russell Crowe’s legendary character in Gladiator-Maximus Decimus Meridius.
Mr Musk’s recent profile picture has Pepe dressed in Roman military clothing while holding what is possibly his game console.