--- title: "Americans Flood Chinese App RedNote, Discover Its Users Are Obsessed With Luigi Mangione" description: "On China's RedNote social network, alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione is striking a chord with users who affectionately call him as \"Lulu.\"" date: "2025-01-17" modified: "2025-01-17" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-app-rednote-luigi-mangione" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "china" - "luigi mangione" - "the digest" - "tiktok" --- # Americans Flood Chinese App RedNote, Discover Its Users Are Obsessed With Luigi Mangione ![On China's RedNote social network, alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione is striking a chord with users who affectionately call him as "Lulu."]() *\Image: Curtis Means / Pool via Getty / Futurism\* ## Pitch Perfect On China's RedNote social network, alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione has struck a chord. As [folks on X-formerly-Twitter]() have documented, the so-called "[TikTok refugees]()" preemptively rushing to Chinese social media ahead of the slated banning of the video app in the states are discovering that their China-based counterparts are super into the suspected killer of [UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson](). https://www.twitter.com/chelsaya/status/1879630984406253653 Affectionately referred to as "[Lulu]()" on the app, Mangione has seemingly become as much of a [thirsted-after]() folk hero in China [as he has in the US]() — and though it's an [immense topic with a lot to unpack](), the [Chinese healthcare system]() is [itself a bit of a mess](), where [wealth and class transparently buy better care](). As a fascinating side note: the app, which is called Xiaohongshu in Chinese and is sometimes referred to as "Little Red Book," was co-created by a Stanford-educated tycoon named Charlwin Mao. [Nominative determinism]() strikes again — even if the Mao in question [worked at Bain Capital](). ## Sino Sympathy Still, messages of commiseration are resonating. In a video posted to RedNote that was later [shared on X](), a user who claims to have lived in the US for five years before returning to China explained why his countrymen "are touched by the story of Luigi." "It seems American's health system is becoming a tool for those giant companies to \[strip\] Americans," the user said. "Now in China, the government bears large shares of the medical expenses for us, and we only need to pay around, like, 100 US dollars per month — but you guys are paying, like, a giant part of your monthly income." "I can't even imagine how anxious you guys are when you get sick, and that's not right," he continued. "You should have to feel safe and secure when you are the most vulnerable... and \[that's\] the basic responsibility for those healthcare insurance companies to bear as human beings." "I really feel for you guys," the user declared. "Yes, you have every right to fight for yourself at the end." For the stateside users [flocking to RedNote]() and other Chinese apps, that solidarity seems welcome — though it's anybody's guess if those apps won't get [banned alongside TikTok](). **More on RedNote:** [*Man Named Mao Who Started Chinese App Called "Little Red Book" Was Actually Inspired by Stanford University and Mitt Romney*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()