related, includes a link to documentary as well on the topic: https://presseportal.zdf.de/pressemitteilung/putins-helfer-t...

more links -

a very lengthy: https://opentools.ai/news/elon-musk-allegedly-targeted-by-ru...

https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/trump-musk-putin-100....

It's very light on details on Thiel's kompromat, but we know he's gay, so wild speculation - unless they have video of him with underage boys not a lot of leverage there. In Thiel's interview with The Atlantic he speculated billionaires like authoritarian leaders because the billionaires are bored. The article does list them using drugs and women to entrap Musk but the guy admits to those things on Rogan and twitter and to a pregnancy fetish - but is the video evidence of any of that going to make him change his behavior? He just seems kind of shameless at this point, the change in his Ukraine views within past few years also aligns with his move to MAGA mindset. I don't like Musk but this is kind of weak IMHO, with just one former FBI agent claiming this and not quite as strong as multiple people claiming Trump is under Putin's thumb.

It's been speculated they have similar stuff on Trump from his trips to Russia decades ago, though Trump is so erratic on Russia lately, usually on their side, sometimes not which is kind of confounding.

There is a translated transcript of the german documentary here https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/5/16/2322637/--Putins-He... excerpt:

>- Jonathan Buma told us in the interview, that there was direct contact between Putin and Musk, several times. The "Wall Street Jurnal" also reported citing anonymous sources. - The Krmlin denied at once. There were no talks between Putin and Musk in 2022

It seems kind of plausible. That was roughly when Musk seemed to flip from a normal make the world better type to far right sieg heiling etc.