The internet accused Elon Musk of abandoning his little boy in public.

A viral video captured his four-year-old son wobbling down a staircase without the help of an adult, while the tech billionaire walked off almost like he “forgot” about him.

Several netizens slammed the tech billionaire father for using his son as a “prop,” but others defended him and said the viral clip didn’t capture the entire scene.

Elon Musk’s parenting skills were widely discussed after a recent video went viral

Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

It is believed the incident took place at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C. last week, according to the Daily Beast.

Musk was seen walking off the stage and enjoying the attention from the crowd, while his son X Æ A-Xii was trailing behind.

Social media users were quick to comment on the situation, saying it seemed “very dangerous” that the Tesla founder “forgot he had his son with him.”

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“Why is this man abandoning his toddler on dangerous metal stairs?” asked one critic.

“Musk insists on bringing his 4-year-old son with him everywhere to use as a PR prop/shield. And watch as he walks down these steps and totally abandons the kid, walking off without so much as glancing behind him to make sure his son made it down safely,” another said, calling the SpaceX chief a “Pure. Sociopath.”

“Definitely a candidate for Father of the Year – not,” read another jab.

Netizens claimed the tech founder “forgot” he had his son X Æ A-Xii with him

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Another wrote, “The lack of paternal instinct is concerning.”

“The Kid is a prop,” said one. “And just like props… sometimes you forget them!”

However, several netizens came to Musk’s defense and pointed towards a longer version of the clip, which captured the tech mogul turning towards his son after he made his way down the stairs.

Supporters of Musk defended him and said the viral clip didn’t show the entire scene

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“This is a pathetic attempt at shaming a parent,” one Musk defender said, while another wrote, “He saw he was safe, so no need for him.”

Saying the “truth always comes out in the end,” a person wrote, “No one loves kids more than Elon Musk, and no one should ever rush to judge a father based on a single misleading clip.”

The same commenter continued defending him, saying: “Even if he did walk ahead for a moment, who hasn’t? Parents have a million thoughts running through their heads at any moment – especially someone with the responsibilities Elon carries.”

The so-called genius forgot his human shield son. What a loving father. pic.twitter.com/p4Pvy4bIXk

— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) February 23, 2025

Son X Æ A-12 is one of at least a dozen children fathered by Musk with three to four different women.

The tech entrepreneur’s father, Errol Musk, recently slammed the tech CEO for his bad parenting skills.

“He hasn’t been a good dad,” Errol said on the Wide Awake podcast earlier this month.

“They were too rich, too many nannies,” he continued. “Then he had five children with the same woman, five sons all brought up. Each one had its own nanny.”

“Show the complete video, you will see how Elon [is] taking care of his little X,” said one commenter

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Musk shares children Nevada Alexander, Vivian Jenna, Griffin, Kai, Saxon, and Damian with his ex-wife Justine Wilson. Nevada Alexander tragically passed away from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) when she was 10 weeks old.

Twins Vivian and Griffin were welcomed through IVF in 2004, while triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian joined the family in 2006.

Son X Æ A-Xii is one of at least a dozen children that Musk has fathered with three to four different women

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During his on-and-off relationship with Canadian musician Grimes (whose real name is Claire Boucher), Musk became the father to X Æ A-Xii in 2020, followed by daughter Exa Dark Sideræl in 2021 and son Techno Mechanicus, whose birthdate was not made public.

In November 2021, Musk secretly welcomed twins Strider and Azure with Shivon Zilis, an employee at his company Neuralink.

The pair welcomed their third child together in early 2024, but they did not disclose the child’s name.

Here’s the full video of Elon Musk taking care of his kid.

The liar who posted and earlier clip claiming that Elon left his son behind you’ve been exposed pic.twitter.com/mHMRmyiiu5

— Not Jerome Powell (@alifarhat79) February 24, 2025

Earlier this month, conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair announced on X that she gave birth to Musk’s 13th child last year and kept it a secret for five months.

Musk has not publicly acknowledged the child so far.

During grandfather Errol’s recent podcast appearance, he claimed his billionaire son would “shoot” him for disclosing details about his son’s parenting.

“He hasn’t been a good father,” Musk’s father Errol Musk recently said about his billionaire son

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“He hasn’t been a good father. The first child was too much with nannies and died in the care of a nanny. If Elon hears this, he’s going to shoot me or something,” Errol said.

Although he hasn’t spent “a lot of time” with his grandchildren, he said “they were very nice” and described them as “smart and very pleasant.”

The internet had mixed opinions about the viral moment between Musk and his son

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