A King Who Doesn’t Even Know He Is a King
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Just a few hours ago, news broke that SpaceX has acquired xAI. (ref) As someone who follows xAI on LinkedIn, I was the first person in the world to click ‘Like’ as soon as xAI posted the news. With SpaceX’s IPO scheduled for this year and a potential merger with xAI and Tesla reportedly being considered in the process, it seems they have already taken the first step. In my 2024 US PhD program acceptance story, I predicted that the then-unknown company xAI would become one of the top three AI powerhouses alongside OpenAI and Google, and expressed my desire to go there, but seeing the entry barrier rise makes me feel the tension. I applied for the 2024 xAI Open House in San Francisco but was flatly rejected (later I heard Elon attended), and while I reaffirmed my resolve for 2025, someone else achieved my goal for me. I’d like to talk about that person.
I have been pondering the existence of human free will since some point more than 15 years ago. If this world was entirely designed by God, should we respect a criminal’s free will as God’s will? While considering both the possibility that free will exists and that it doesn’t, I found a clue in a book about quantum mechanics in October 2011. This world, much like Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment, does not have its fate determined until it is observed. Thus, I concluded that the DNA and life trajectory given to us by quantum mechanics are our very self and free will. However, since this world is governed by emergence, I reached the conclusion that the extent to which free will is truly ‘free’ must have a defined range of validity. For example, there is no major obstacle for free will to be involved in what we eat and drink, but once we belong to a group, politics exists within it, making it difficult to lead the group in a desired direction; further, before a nation or history, one easily falls into nihilism, overwhelmed by causality. So, while worrying about whether the free will guaranteed by quantum mechanics is free enough to change the history set by God, an existential crisis arose.
The webtoon “Tower of God” deals with a similar theme. Zahard and the 10 Great Family Leaders, who were the first to open the tower’s doors and conquer up to the 134th floor, made a contract with the Administrator, and no member of the tower can kill them. However, those who opened the tower’s doors themselves are not subject to those constraints. These individuals are worthy of being called kings, and they represent three different types of kings. Zahard, the king who rules the people with authority and power. Urek Mazino, the king with a free soul. Twenty-Fifth Bam, the king who doesn’t even know he is a king. There are Irregulars in this world who distort the surrounding space-time simply by existing. May you understand the weight of your crowns.
Setting aside the discussion of whether Elon is a good or bad person, I think everyone can agree that he is an unprecedented figure in history. He fits the description of those beings I mentioned, in that he is not trapped by historical causality and changes his destiny. Perhaps that is why Elon called himself the Technoking. (CEO is a made-up title, so he’s Tesla’s Technokinginstead) Unfortunately, one doesn’t become a king just by writing the character for King (王) on their palm while their wife dates multiple boyfriends.
In October 2024, while applying for the Asan Scholarship, I was greatly betrayed by someone very close to me. It was then that I finally pondered Why should we be kind? and found the answer in Jeff Bezos’s words. (ref) Everyone’s conclusion will be different. Since beliefs are not universal knowledge. But my conclusion is clear. Finding someone with whom I can create the world I want to build together, and establishing them as a true king. Kings who rule with authority and power, or kings with free souls, do not need my help. That is why I am looking for the king who doesn’t even know he is a king.
Since posting about studying abroad, I have helped many people with their PhD applications. One person among them was particularly unique. Starting from July 8th of last year, we had about 10 Zoom meetings, and recently, we have been exchanging DMs more frequently. His story of dropping out of Seoul National University after an existential crisis to go to a US university, preparing for a PhD and employment simultaneously, and working with a Nobel laureate was very impressive. I was able to secure many papers through emerging technologies and startup experience, but even though he was still an undergraduate, he already had a significant number of papers. It was a time when even a US PhD program felt insufficient to aim higher. As I listened quietly, the conversation flowed from stories of visiting the xAI Open House to acquaintances who quit their Stanford PhD to join Anthropic or joined Google DeepMind. I also heard that while jobs through standard application processes pay around 150K, you have to use a completely different route to earn 300K~450K or more. This gave me a very specific goal, and I plan to do something bing this year and next.
On this very day that SpaceX acquired xAI, that friend was accepted into the MIT PhD program. Normally, I would have naturally encouraged the PhD, but in this new era where degrees or certificates are meaningless, I am preparing advice to awaken this child as a next-level being.
Meanwhile, I have cut ties with many who betrayed me, but there is one person I haven’t been able to let go of in the end. I’ve been wondering for over a year what I’m hesitating for, and only now does the reason seem to be becoming a bit clearer.
Posted: 2026.02.02 19:35