--- title: "People in China Absolutely Love Elon Musk" description: "People in China have a new obsession: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, as The New York Times reports." date: "2021-03-12" modified: "2021-03-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/people-in-china-absolutely-love-elon-musk" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "china" - "elon musk" - "Iron Man" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # People in China Absolutely Love Elon Musk ![People in China have a new obsession: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, as The New York Times reports.]() *\Image: NVIDIA via Flickr/Futurism\* ## Everybody's Hope People in China have a new obsession: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, [*The New York Times* reports](). From tech entrepreneurs to anybody riled up to fight the establishment, the billionaire has gained massive appeal. "He can fight the establishment and become the richest man on Earth — and avoid getting beaten down in the process," Jane Zhang, founder of a Shanghai-based blockchain company, told the newspaper. "He’s everybody’s hope." ## Silicon Valley Iron Man Chinese social networks are flush with mentions of the billionaire, referring to him as the "Silicon Valley Iron Man," "King of Mars," and "Rocket Man," according to the *Times*. Many in China also jumped on board buying shares of GameStop, an [action lauded by Musk](). To them, Musk embodies an industry unbounded by regulation and middlemen. "China doesn’t have Silicon Valley madmen anymore," Suji Yan, an entrepreneur and investor in Shanghai, told *NYT.* Higher ups in the tech industry "have all become cardboard cutouts." ## Cardboard Cutouts Musk's electric car company has also made major headway in entering the Chinese market, with sales [more than doubling in 2020]() alone in the country. But not everybody is head over heels. Tech commentator Hong Bo called him out as a "coldblooded, self-absorbed megalomaniac" — as well as a "real dreamer" — who tramples "on the bottom lines of humanity." In a way, this all sounds strangely familiar. There are many sides to Musk, just as there are many sides to those who celebrate or despise him — and that's as true in China as it is in the United States. **READ MORE:** [China’s Jaded Techies Find a Hero in Elon Musk]() \[*The New York Times*\] **More on Elon Musk:** *[Huge Assembly Line Machine Catches on Fire at Tesla Factory]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()