Elon became an influence on crypto because he always mentions bitcoin and Dogecoin on his twitter, and this is also supported by a very large number of twitter followers. The richest man in the world is a reference for many people, so what Elon says will be very influential.
Bitcoin will not die, this is still the beginning of Bitcoin's journey. those who say bitcoin will die are just hypocrites who currently do not own a penny of bitcoin. Bitcoin has a strong community around the world including Elon who is a crypto enthusiast.