- Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he is willing to meet his purported Chinese doppelganger if he really does exist.
- Dubbed by netizens as “Yi Long Musk,” the alleged lookalike made headlines last year after a video of him went viral on Douyin.
- As news of Musk’s Twitter takeover plans emerged online in April, Yi Long Musk resurfaced with a new video of him holding a Twitter logo cutout.
- “I’d like to meet this guy (if he is real),” Musk tweeted. “Hard to tell with deepfakes these days.”
- Similar to Musk, several Chinese social media users are skeptical of the clip’s authenticity and have dismissed it as footage that uses deepfake, a type of artificial intelligence that can alter the face of a person in a video to make them look like someone else.
- Still, many users are delighted by the resemblance, expressing excitement about Musk’s potential meetup with his Chinese doppelganger.
Elon Musk said he is willing to meet his purported Chinese doppelganger if he really does exist.
Dubbed by the internet as “Yi Long Musk,” the alleged Musk lookalike made headlines last year after a video of him went viral on Douyin.
In the short clip, the man can be seen standing beside a black sedan inside what appears to be a parking lot. His resemblance to Musk becomes especially uncanny when he smiles.
Musk first acknowledged that he and the man look alike last December. In response to a tweet showing him side-by-side with Yi Long Musk, the SpaceX CEO jokingly wondered whether he is “partly Chinese.”
— Ankit // less active (@imoriginalankit) December 20, 2021
As news of Musk’s Twitter takeover plans emerged online in April, Yi Long Musk resurfaced with a new video of him holding a Twitter logo cutout.
@mayilong0 This is a free bird. I like him and I’m going to go to him right now. Because Elon Musk is my brother#elonmusk #tesla #twitter ♬ dance(256762) – TimTajEarlier this week, a Twitter user suggested that the purported doppelganger could be a potential decoy for Musk after he tweeted in jest about dying “under mysterious circumstances.”
If I die under mysterious circumstances, it’s been nice knowin ya
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022
“I’d like to meet this guy (if he is real),” Musk replied. “Hard to tell with deepfakes these days.”
I’d like to meet this guy (if he is real). Hard to tell with deepfakes these days.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022
Musk’s tweet has gone viral in China, with its related hashtag garnering over 100 million views on Weibo.
Similar to Musk, several Chinese social media users are skeptical of the clip’s authenticity and have dismissed it as footage that uses deepfake, a type of artificial intelligence that can alter the face of a person in a video to make them look like someone else.
Still, many users are delighted by the resemblance, expressing excitement about Musk’s potential meetup with his Chinese doppelganger.
Featured Image via TED (left), @radii.china (right)
Support our Journalism with a Contribution
Many people might not know this, but despite our large and loyal following which we are immensely grateful for, NextShark is still a small bootstrapped startup that runs on no outside funding or loans.
Everything you see today is built on the backs of warriors who have sacrificed opportunities to help give Asians all over the world a bigger voice.
However, we still face many trials and tribulations in our industry, from figuring out the most sustainable business model for independent media companies to facing the current COVID-19 pandemic decimating advertising revenues across the board.
We hope you consider making a contribution so we can continue to provide you with quality content that informs, educates and inspires the Asian community.
Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for everyone’s support. We love you all and can’t appreciate you guys enough.
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue82erqxnlaG8r3nMrqqkZaeWu7W%2FjK2mZqWVmsFutMisZJygmaOytLGMnaapqJWhtKK6xp6pZrGZYrmwusZmpK6rm2K2p3nHnmSiq12nsqK4jg%3D%3D