Squid Game Creator Sees Elon Musk in the Show’s Villains
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the mind behind *Squid Game*, isn’t shy about where he finds inspiration for the show’s wealthy antagonists. In a recent interview with *TIME*, he pointed to Elon Musk—not by name at first, but the implication was clear.
“Elon Musk is everywhere these days, right? Everybody talks about him,” Hwang said. It’s hard to disagree. Between Tesla, SpaceX, and his very public persona, Musk’s influence is hard to ignore. And after finishing *Squid Game*’s third season, Hwang admitted some of the VIPs—the show’s ultra-rich spectators—started to feel familiar. “Oh, some of them do kind of resemble Elon Musk,” he said.
Netflix hasn’t commented, and neither have Musk’s companies. But the timing is hard to miss. Season 3 dropped on June 27, wrapping up the global phenomenon with even more brutality. This time, the VIPs aren’t just watching from behind animal masks—they’re joining the hunt, trading dinner dresses for pink soldier uniforms and machine guns.
Billionaires Who Don’t Hide Anymore
Hwang’s frustration with real-world wealth and power isn’t subtle. “In the past, the people really controlling things stayed hidden,” he told *TIME*. “Now? Especially in America, they’re front and center.”
He’s not wrong. Musk’s net worth—$409.8 billion at last count—tops the GDP of entire countries. And he’s far from quiet about his influence. After stepping down from a controversial government efficiency role (DOGE, which somehow became a meme itself), he’s been openly feuding with Trump over federal spending. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos just dropped $46 million on a wedding in Venice, complete with 90 private jets ferrying guests.
It’s not just about the money, though. Hwang also pulled from political chaos, including South Korea’s recent martial law declaration. The show’s VIPs, with their casual cruelty and performative power, feel ripped from today’s headlines.
No More Curtains, No More Masks
The most unsettling part, according to Hwang, is how little the ultra-wealthy bother to conceal their control anymore. “They take their masks off,” he said. “It’s like they’re saying, ‘We’re the ones running everything.’”
Whether Musk sees himself in *Squid Game*’s villains is anyone’s guess. But the show’s bleak reflection of wealth and power? That’s harder to ignore.
