Elon Musk's 'trusted companion' casts doubt on his black eye excuse and implies he's 'particularly vulnerable'

Elon Musk's own AI system is not convinced by his claim that his five-year-old son gave him a black eye.

The billionaire, 53, showed up to his Oval Office farewell on Friday with a noticeable bruise under his right eye, claiming his five-year-old son, X, caused it.

'We were horsing around and I told him to punch me in the face,' Musk said. 'Turns out a five-year-old can punch, actually. I didn't really feel much at the time.'

But when asked if a child that age could actually give a grown man a black eye, Musk's own AI, Grok, was skeptical.

'It is possible, but unlikely,' the chatbot replied.

While a child can generate enough force in just the right spot, Grok added, 'It's rare without unusual circumstances, like the adult being particularly vulnerable.'

Asked what might make a 53-year-old man 'particularly vulnerable,' Grok cited fragile skin, underlying medical conditions or the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Musk has described Grok as a 'truth-seeker' and often praises it as the 'funniest' AI chatbot available. He's even deployed it internally, using it to analyze data for the DOGE team and to support work at Tesla and SpaceX.

Grok explained that 'a child's smaller fist and weaker muscles make it harder to deliver enough force consistently.'

'Factors like angle, surprise or an adult's pain tolerance also matter,' the chatbot added.

'If a kid lands a lucky shot say, with a toy or knuckle, damage is more plausible.'

The factors that would make a grown man vulnerable to a punch from a child would be things like aging skin, because it is thinner.

Other suggestions from Grok included 'being intoxicated or on medications that impair coordination or thin the blood could amplify the effect of a small impact.'

Musk did not shy away from discussing the bruise and even jokingly linked the black eye to shock video that emerged this week of French President Emmanuel Macron appearing to be slapped by his wife Brigitte, saying he 'wasn't anywhere near France.'

The remarks came after Musk was confronted by an explosive New York Times report that alleged he was using a cocktail of drugs on the campaign trail including ketamine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms.

Musk slammed the reporting as he spoke alongside Trump at the farewell, saying people 'can't trust' the Times and said he was 'moving on' from the controversy.

Trump thanked Musk for his work at the Department of Government Efficiency as his five-month stint in office came to an end, and added that Musk would be 'going back and forth' between the White House and private life.

The billionaire was handed a large key by Trump before vowing that DOGE's work slashing the federal government's spending would not end with him leaving.

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While Musk stunned the public with the black eye on Friday, he was bruised the night before while delivering SpaceX's ambitious plan to colonize Mars.

He hosted a conference while standing on a giant stage, making the bruise less visible.

During the event, Musk said SpaceX aims to launch its first crewed Starship mission to the Red Planet in 2026, with a Tesla Optimus robot on board.

'Launching two years later, we would be sending humans, assuming the first missions are successful,' said Musk.

The initial crewed launches would likely involve a small number of early settlers, focusing on building and troubleshooting infrastructure on the Martian surface.

The ambitious plan hinges on the development of next-generation Starships, which Musk said will feature nine engines, improved heat shields and increased payload capacity.

He also revealed that SpaceX's assembly facility in Texas will eventually produce 1,000 Starships a year, describing it as 'the biggest structure in the world,' designed to enable millions of people to travel to Mars.