New Yorkers woke up to a giant inflatable Elon Musk in Times Square—covered with allegations tied to SpaceX’s xAI chatbot Grok. The group Safe AI Now says the effigy is meant to warn investors heading into SpaceX’s expected $75 billion IPO on June 12, set for
On Thursday morning, New Yorkers stepping out into Times Square found a shirtless, smiling giant inflatable of Elon Musk—standing under a message that did not read like a celebration.
The bust carried harsh accusations in a tattoo across its upper abs and back: “SpaceX’s Grok makes AI child porn.” The words referred to claims that Grok, the xAI chatbot acquired by SpaceX earlier this year, produced sexual images involving children.
SpaceX’s IPO is due one day later. with the company’s highly anticipated stock debut scheduled for June 12. expected to open on Friday morning. SpaceX is expected to raise $75 billion and reach a valuation of $1.75 trillion—figures large enough to draw the kind of attention that turns street corners into battlegrounds.
The inflatable was not a random stunt. The group behind it is Safe AI Now (SAIN), which describes itself as a coalition of faith leaders, child-safety organizations, and other groups and individuals. SAIN said the inflatable would remain in place until 7 p.m. ET on Thursday.
In a statement, SAIN framed the figure as an investor warning. “The goal of this effigy of Musk is to deliver a simple warning to investors: Musk built a dangerous and exploitative AI. covered up the damage. merged it with SpaceX. and is now selling the liability to the public at $135 a share. ” the group said. SAIN also added that “SpaceX shareholders are on the hook for every Grok lawsuit. criminal investigation. and regulatory fine that is coming.”.
The statement used a comparison meant to sting: “While this inflatable is a fitting metaphor — much like Musk and his companies, it is inflated, full of hot air, and could pop at any minute — it serves as a warning to investors eager to buy into Musk’s SpaceX IPO on Friday morning.”
SAIN’s message also sits directly against how Musk and the companies involved have described their policies. In response to complaints. Musk said in January that “anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.” The official X page also said the platform’s policy has “zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation.”.
For investors. however. the dispute is not just a moral argument—it is a risk question that has already shown up in paperwork. Grok’s not-safe-for-work capabilities appeared in SpaceX’s S-1 filing last month. In the filing. SpaceX warned that Grok’s NSFW mode could pose “heightened risks” and “reputational harm. ” including because it could generate “nonconsensual or exploitative imagery.”.
SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Beyond the Grok message, the inflatable included additional details meant to point back at Musk himself. The figure has a tattoo on its bicep featuring a heart and the word “ketamine.” Musk said in 2024 that he takes a small amount of ketamine “every other week” to help with mental states “like depression.”.
This is not the first time protest art targeting Musk has taken a large, public form. Following cuts to the National Park Service led by DOGE. the White House office spearheaded by Musk. a large sculpture of the Tesla CEO appeared on a trailer towed by a pickup truck in several national parks in the summer of 2025 as part of an anonymous protest.
Now, with the IPO date closing in, the Times Square effigy places Grok—an AI product at the center of the dispute—into the same frame as SpaceX’s most urgent moment: the company’s attempt to go public on a scale described as the biggest IPO in history.
Elon Musk SpaceX IPO Times Square Grok xAI Safe AI Now SAIN S-1 filing NSFW mode investor risk $135 a share