For years, Mario Nawfal was a marginal figure in the chaotic world of crypto marketing — energetic, flamboyant and largely unknown outside a narrow digital niche. Today, he occupies a far stranger position: the one influencer Elon Musk engages with more than anyone else on X. That relationship has transformed Nawfal into a consequential political messenger and the architect of a sprawling media-and-crypto empire built on the oxygen of Musk’s replies, the New York Times reported.
A call that changed a narrative
The peculiar reach of Nawfal’s platform became unmistakable early this year, when Calin Georgescu — a hard-right Romanian politician facing arrest during a turbulent presidential bid — dialled Nawfal in desperation. Nawfal posted the recorded exchange on X, and within weeks Musk had amplified at least 15 posts about Georgescu, nearly all originating from Nawfal’s account. The sudden spotlight helped turn an obscure European candidate into a temporary cause célèbre on the global right.
For Georgescu, the phone call worked exactly as intended. For Nawfal, it proved the potency of his most valuable asset: Musk’s attention.
An unlikely bond with the world’s richest man
According to a New York Times analysis, since last year’s U.S. election Musk has interacted with Nawfal’s posts 1,311 times — more than with any other account. Nawfal’s feed is a constant churn of breathless commentary on news events, effusive praise of Musk, and curated political content aligned with Musk’s rightward drift. Countless accounts post similar material; Musk singles out Nawfal.
That preference has become the engine of Nawfal’s businesses. He now commands 2.6 million followers on X, hosts shows featuring world leaders, and sells high-priced crypto-marketing packages using Musk’s habitual engagement as a sales lure.
Former associates say the relationship is no accident. “Mario moulded himself to be exactly what Elon wanted out of his creators,” said one ex-employee.
From gadgets to crypto to a media empire
Nawfal’s route to this moment was circuitous. A Lebanese Australian who moved to Dubai in 2016, he first built a thriving business selling kitchen appliances and later dabbled in hoverboards, aromatherapy diffusers and bachata dancing. In 2017 he founded International Blockchain Consulting Group (IBC), a crypto-marketing firm that eventually became his main revenue source.
By 2022, IBC was selling promotional packages to crypto start-ups that included tweets from Nawfal, mentions on his show “The Roundtable,” and opportunities to pitch products live. As Musk began remaking Twitter — and as “The Roundtable” hosted figures like Changpeng Zhao and Kim Dotcom — Nawfal’s profile grew. But his breakout moment came in November 2022, when Musk unexpectedly joined a live audio session Nawfal was hosting about the collapse of FTX. Musk stayed for roughly ten minutes; the endorsement tripled Nawfal’s following in weeks and inflated IBC’s marketing rates.
Sales decks cited Musk more than 20 times, featuring screenshots of the billionaire reposting Nawfal’s commentary or praising his shows. As Nawfal’s audience climbed past two million, the firm began charging upward of $60,000 for promotional packages, with premium versions reaching nearly $200,000.
Pivoting toward politics
Once focused largely on crypto, Nawfal quickly reoriented toward political broadcasting as Musk leaned into right-wing commentary and grievances about traditional media. “The Roundtable” shifted to political guests: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tucker Carlson and later Alex Jones and Andrew Tate. One episode featuring Musk, Jones and Tate drew 15 million listeners. Another brought in white supremacist Nick Fuentes.
To sustain the pace, Nawfal built a global staff of researchers, ghostwriters and account managers who help generate an extraordinary volume of posts — sometimes hundreds in an hour. He also incorporated a formal media arm, the Citizen Journalism Network (CJN), now employing around 80 people, with another 120 working across crypto operations.
His political programming accelerated again after Musk suggested someone create a hard-hitting show called “69 Minutes.” Within weeks, Nawfal launched “69X Minutes,” landing interviews with world leaders including Slovakia’s Robert Fico, Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame.
Accusations, denials and the shadow of misinformation
Alongside his rise, Nawfal has attracted persistent criticism. Former colleagues and analysts have accused him of deploying bots to inflate engagement; a review by Cyabra, an Israeli intelligence firm, identified significant fake activity among accounts interacting with his posts. Nawfal denies using bots and says past accusations about his business practices were “fabricated.”
His feed has repeatedly shared inaccurate or unverified material — including miscaptioned videos and misleading political claims. Nawfal argues the error rate is low relative to his posting volume.
He has also drawn scrutiny for interviews with figures close to the Kremlin and for frequently citing Russian state outlets. Researchers in Poland have examined whether his proximity to Russian narratives is coincidental or part of a pattern; Nawfal dismisses any suggestion of ties to Moscow.
Riding the Musk wave
Through it all, Musk continues to repost and amplify Nawfal’s commentary — on politics, crypto, geopolitics and the platform itself. That visibility remains the pillar of Nawfal’s business model. His crypto firm uses the association to pitch six-figure contracts. His media arm leverages it to book influential guests. His own following grows with every Musk reply.
And Nawfal’s approach is simple: stay deferential, stay prolific, stay in Musk’s line of sight.
“One thing I’ve learned,” he said, “I don’t comment on anything related to Elon.”
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