Squid Game creator Hwang Dong‑hyuk has revealed that Elon Musk served as a real-life influence for the show’s VIP characters.
Speaking to Time, Hwang said, “Elon Musk is everywhere these days. After writing [Season 3], of course I thought, ‘Oh, some of the VIPs do kind of resemble Elon Musk.’”
In Season 3, the VIPs—wealthy onlookers who previously watched from a distance—remove their masks and enter the games, participating in violence directly.
Hwang said this change mirrors real-world shifts in power dynamics, particularly in the United States.
“In the past, those that really controlled the system... were hidden behind the curtain,” he explained. “It’s no longer the case. These so-called big tech owners… step up, telling everyone who they’re backing with their money.”
The creator pointed out that the show’s VIPs reflect how public certain billionaires have become.
Rather than staying anonymous, today’s power players openly declare their influence and affiliations. “They willingly take their masks off,” Hwang said, “almost as if to declare, ‘We’re the ones running everything.’”
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