Hwang Dong-hyuk, the director of Squid Game, said that the VIP characters in season 3 - who now directly hunt people instead of just observing - were inspired by real-life billionaires like Elon Musk.
"Today, those who control the system are no longer hiding their faces," he told TIME, alluding to Musk as a symbol of the ultra-rich who are openly manipulating the global order.
This statement came as Elon Musk had just left the Government Effectiveness Department (DOGE) in the Trump administration and was publicly confronting the former president about the $2.4 trillion spending bill. Musk currently owns assets worth $409.8 billion - exceeding the GDP of many countries.
Season 3 of Squid Game aired from 6/27, coinciding with Jeff Bezos's lavish $46 million wedding in Venice.
