Voxcali

Between record-breaking gold medals and luxury fashion deals, Eileen Gu navigates the complex intersection of capitalism, geopolitics and cultural identity.

Eileen Gu cemented her status as the most decorated Olympic freeskier in history with 3 gold medals and 3 silver medals across the past two Winter Games.

The U.S.-born-and-raised phenom has faced scrutiny for representing China, with critics citing the nation’s human rights record as a moral dealbreaker.  However, this public sentiment is far from monolithic as others celebrate her for pioneering the borderless athlete archetype.  Ultimately, much of the American backlash feels less like a geopolitical stance and more of a grievance that her 6 medals were not attributed to the red, white, and blue.

The 22-year-old’s Olympic journey began with her mother, Yan, an immigrant from China who first introduced Eileen to the slopes when she was just a toddler.  As a single mother raising Eileen in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighborhood, Yan frequently ventured with her to Lake Tahoe on the weekends to catch some fresh powder.

Questions regarding Gu’s citizenship have been spotlighted as China doesn’t allow dual citizenship.  She has stated, “I’m American when I’m in the U.S. and I’m Chinese when I’m in China.”

Gu was reportedly paid millions of dollars by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau as part of China’s recruiting campaign to attract elite athletes from the global diaspora.

Many who champion the virtues of global capitalism – idolizing corporate billionaires whose companies outsource jobs for cheap labor – have become vocal detractors once the young woman capitalized on representing her heritage, and a place she spent her summers growing up.

Gu is not the only athlete to make this leap.  Zhu Yi, the Los Angeles-born figure skater, faced a harsher reality.  Her debut for China in 2022 included multiple falls keeping her off the podium.  She faded from the spotlight and did not return for the 2026 Games.

In contrast some athletes remained unswayed by the CCP’s recruitment efforts, most notably team USA figure skater Alysa Liu.  The 20-year-old Bay Area native, whose father sought asylum in the U.S. following the Tiananmen Square protests, captured two gold medals in 2026 to much patriotic fanfare.  In another inevitable effort to pit successful women against one another, Liu is frequently cast as the “good” Chinese American in direct opposition to Gu.

Choosing between the “good” and “bad” Chinese Americans feels particularly hollow when juxtaposed with recent social media trends.  The viral TikTok trend “I’m in my Chinese era,” exemplifies the concept of “Eating the Other,” where elements of a marginalized culture are consumed as a temporary aesthetic without any of the lived political weight.  Similarly, critics often reduce the complex stakes of Gu’s decision because they are viewing her life through a flattened, Western lens.

Though the discourse surrounding Gu feels fresh, her commitment is long-standing – first choosing to represent China at age 15.  She has consistently maintained that “sport can bring cultures together; not divide them.”  Her decision also sought to be a trailblazer for Chinese girls who have traditionally seen low rates of athletic participation, with especially low representation in winter sports.

Gu’s popularity in China was visceral during the 2022 Winter Olympics.  Following her Big Air gold medal victory the sheer volume of traffic from fans temporarily crashed the social media platform Weibo.

She was dubbed the “Snow Princess” – fitting for a fashion model who has graced the cover of Vogue and walked the runway for Louis Vuitton.

A favorable online contingent has shown admiration for Gu’s “unreal face card,” poise at press conferences, and academic success in addition to athletic achievements.

After scoring a near-perfect 1580 on the SATs, Gu achieved early admission to Stanford. Currently an international relations major she took a gap year to focus on this year’s Olympics.

The global Kpop icons return on February 27 with Deadline, their first collective project since the record-breaking Born Pink era.

Fans of K-Pop royalty Blackpink have been buzzing with anticipation for the group’s third mini album, Deadline, set to debut on February 27.  The project marks their first collective release in nearly four years.

Blackpink teased their return in July 2025 with the 90’s rave influenced pre-release single “Jump.”  It secured the number one spot on the Billboard Global 200 with over 100 million streams by the end of the week.

While on hiatus, the group’s global visibility remained at an all-time high, fueled by each member’s individual ventures – most notably Lisa made her acting debut by starring in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus, which was filmed in her native Thailand.

They cemented their status in 2022 as “the biggest girl group in the world” with the release of Born Pink, their second full-length studio album.  The album peaked at number one in multiple countries including the U.S., U.K., and South Korea led by singles “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down.”

Their first full-length project 2020’s The Album, became the first by a Korean female act to sell over one million copies.  Their lead single “How You Like That” has 1.2 billion streams on Spotify – their most of any song.

Prior to their studio albums, Blackpink released EPs Square Up in 2018 and Kill This Love the following year, both of which reached the top 40 of the Billboard 200.  The latter included a song of the same name which is their second-most streamed track.

Blackpink debuted in August 2016 with the single album Square One followed by Square Two in November.  Both projects made the group an instant success climbing the charts in Korea and the US.

The group’s four members encompass a diverse, international background.  Jisoo and Jennie are Korean, Rosé was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, and Lisa is Thai.

Blackpink has amassed a staggering social media presence with over 100 million subscribers on YouTube alone – the most for any musical act globally.  More impressive than their 22 million monthly Spotify listeners is their Instagram following – each member with over 80 million.  Lisa has the 36th most followed Instagram account in the world with 106 million.

From virtual sets to AI-native studios, these Asian American executives are the architects of the next era of filmmaking.

With the entertainment industry pivoting toward AI, the magic of modern Hollywood is increasingly being engineered behind the scenes.  At the forefront of this technological revolution are three Asian American leaders.

In November veteran executive Christina Lee Storm joined Secret Level, an AI-Native entertainment studio known best for their Coca-Cola “Holidays are Coming” ads.  Storm will be heading their narrative efforts focusing on original shows and films.

From 2020 to 2023 Storm led Netflix’s Virtual Production, instrumental on titles including Atlas, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and One Piece.

The four years prior Storm worked at DreamWorks Animation, last as VP of Emerging Technologies.  She implemented trailblazing virtual production technologies that aided Abominable and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.

In 2023 Storm co-founded of PLAYBOOK, blending her knowledge of business, entertainment, and tech.  A key offering is Playbook AIR which helps studios manage copyright and liability through human authorship verification in GenAI workflows.

Lap Van Luu is the Chief Technology Officer of Magnopus, a design company specializing in virtual production.  As CTO he amplifies traditional cinematography equipment with VR technology, allowing filmmakers an elevated level of creative freedom. 

Luu played a pivotal role in establishing the Virtual Production System allowing directors with VR headsets to walk through digital sets as if they were physical locations.  In addition to virtual productions, he has provided solutions to foster spatial experiences, music videos, immersive reality concerts, and games.

Prior to Magnopus Luu held CTO roles at Pixomondo and ScanLine VFX LA.  His film credits include Star Trek Into Darkness, Fast & Furious 6, and The Avengers.

For the past eight years Annie Chang has served as the Vice President of Creative Technologies for Universal Pictures.  In this role she is responsible for innovating the studio’s technology strategy including the development of immersive media experiences.

Most notably Chang is known for spearheading the industry-wide standard for delivery and storage known as the Interoperable Master Format.

Prior to joining Universal she spent over a decade with Disney in a variety of technical roles.  Chang directed a team of engineers responsible for distrusting post-theatrical media across a variety of formats including 3D Blu-ray, which she helped launch.  Additionally, she led the charge to digitize and more effectively archive Disney’s media library.  Chang began her career in Hollywood at the post house THX.

Chinese American Kenneth Lin built Credit Karma to help transform the way millions of people access and understand their credit.

As tax season arrives, millions of Americans begin their tax prep, while also learning how to improve their overall financial lives. Kenneth Lin is one tech leader who designed a company that would make credit scores free and accessible and gave everyone full control over their finances.

Born in China, Kenneth Lin immigrated to Las Vegas with his parents when he was four years old. Growing up in a first-generation immigrant household with hard working parents taught Lin early on the importance of financial literacy. His parents took jobs at casinos and bakeries in order to pay for Lin’s college tuition at Boston University where he studied mathematics and economics.

After graduation, Lin began to experiment with business ideas and ended up founding Multilytics Marketing, a data-driven marketing agency, in the 1990s. In 2006, a light bulb appeared over Lin’s head after becoming discouraged by how much it cost to obtain his credit score. He wanted to create an alternative which led to the development of Credit Karma, a platform that offered credit reports and personalized financial recommendations.

Credit Karma went live in February 2008 and was able to close a $2.5 million Series A funding round by November 2009. From there the platform only continued to expand and within a few years, millions of people were using Credit Karma to monitor their credit. By 2015, Credit Karma’s valuation grew to $3.5 billion allowing the company to expand into Canada and the United Kingdom.

As Credit Karma continued to grow, Kenneth Lin led the company to branch out into credit card applications and tax filing, helping users with free federal and state tax preparation. This completely disrupted the industry as it directly challenged other competitors that were charging high fees.

In 2020, Intuit acquired Credit Karma for $7.1 billion, one of the largest fintech acquisitions in recent decades. As of today, the platform is helping over 100 million users with credit monitoring and free financial tools. Kenneth Lin always believed that financial clarity should be easily accessible to everyone and Credit Karma was able to shift the way people interact with their finances everyday.

With a recent milestone nomination and a lead role in the Squid Game saga, Lee Byung-hun continues to redefine what it means to be a cross-cultural icon.

From Seoul to Hollywood, Lee Byung-hun has cemented his reputation as a powerhouse in both domestic and worldwide entertainment.

Most recently he captivated audiences in the 2025 satirical Korean thriller No Other Choice.  His leading performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy – the first time a Korean actor has been recognized in that category.  

The same year Lee also voiced the villain Gwi-Ma in the cultural Netflix phenomenon K-Pop Demon Hunters.

Global fans recognize him as the Front Man in the Squid Game series.  After his chilling reveal in the first season Lee took center stage in seasons 2 and 3, starring in 18 of 22 episodes.

Lee’s Hollywood breakthrough came in 2009 as a deadly assassin in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. His debut paved the way for major roles including the 2013 sequel Red 2 and the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven.

As Lee gained footing in the U.S. he was sweeping major awards in Korea.  He gained critical acclaim for his role in the 2005 action film A Bittersweet Life.  His performance in the 2015 political thriller Inside Men saw him sweep the “Triple Crown” of Korean acting, winning Best Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards, Blue Dragon Film Awards, and Grand Bell Awards.

The 55-year-old was raised in Seoul and graduated from Hanyang University with a degree in French Literature, later earning a master’s in theater and cinematography from Chung-Ang University.  Today Lee splits time between properties in Korea and Los Angeles.

The Chinese American actress grows her stature with breakout roles in HBO’s Hacks and Netflix’s His & Hers.

Amongst the many rising Asian American actors reshaping Hollywood, Poppy Liu is one name that deserves recognition as she begins to step into the spotlight.

Born in Xi’an, China, Poppy Liu moved to the United States with her family when she was just two years old. When she was 14 her family moved back to China and she attended an international school in Shanghai which is where her interest in performing emerged. Liu participated in Chinese dance, theater, and ballet and later attended Colgate University in New York where she majored in women’s studies and theater.

After graduating in 2013, Liu wanted to create a platform that focused on destigmatizing conversations about sexuality and identity, so she founded her own production company called Collective Sex. In 2018 she went on a college campus tour to share her very first short film Names of Women, which was developed with an all-female crew and based on Liu’s own personal story.

Liu began to score television projects soon after her short film release, with appearances in popular shows like New Amsterdam and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, then later earned recurring roles in Sunnyside, iCarly, and Better Call Saul. Her breakout moment, however, came from her stylish part as Kiki in the Emmy-winning HBO series Hacks, giving her the exposure she needed to elevate her profile within the industry.

This year Liu appeared in Netflix’s most recent thriller His & Hers, a series that quickly reached the platform’s Number 1 spot in TV Shows. Poppy Liu portrays Helen Wang, a school headmistress whose character becomes a critical piece to the murder mystery that unfolds. The success of the series solidified Liu’s versatility, proving that she can transition between comedy, drama, and thriller on the global streaming stage.

As Hollywood continues to evolve, Poppy Liu is expanding her resume and her audience, playing her part in shaping what the next era of representation will look like.

From national titles to Olympic-level artistry, these three Asian American standouts are at the top of the national rankings this year.

Across the competitive landscape of NCAA women’s gymnastics three Asian American standouts seamlessly deliver elite precision.

Defending NCAA Vault Champion Kailin Chio is a masterclass in technical fluidity.  Through five weeks of the 2026 season the LSU sophomore has averaged a score of 39.520, earning her a national ranking of #2.  Chio’s Freshman campaign was an emphatic success.  She earned a her first perfect ten on vault at the collegiate level in March 2025, before being named SEC Freshman of the Year, and an All-American.  Chio secured an outright national championship on the vault after scoring a 9.975.  She’ll be chasing the gold again with the #3 ranked Tigers.

Illinois sophomore Chloe Cho’s explosive tumbling and expressive artistry have earned her a top 10 national ranking with an average score of 39.405 in the 2026 season.  As a freshman she earned a share of the B1G Four title after tying her career high on vault, posting a 9.9.  Cho’s debut campaign wrapped with First-Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and B1G Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

Sri Lankan American Tiana Sumanasekera has climbed her way to the #14 national ranking and has UCLA ranked at #4. The freshman Bruin has a scoring average of 39.375 through the 2026 season.  Sumanasekera is a five-time U.S. National Team member and was listed as an alternate at the 2024 Olympics.  In 2025 and 2023 she won team gold at the Pan American Championships.  Her 2023 performance also claimed individual gold medals for All-around and Balance beam.

Just six months after debuting with lead singles “GO!” and “What You Want” Cortis has made an international splash.

Korean boy band Cortis has exploded onto the music scene since their August debut.

The five-member group made a massive splash in the US this past weekend becoming the first K-pop act to perform during a signature NBA All-Star Weekend event.  At the NBA Crossover opening night they stunned global audiences with an unreleased high-energy anthem titled “YCC” for Young Creator Crew.  The following night they headlined the Celebrity Game’s halftime show.

The same date marked the release of Sony’s sports-action film GOAT, which Cortis bolstered by their bass-driven track “Mention Me.”

Cortis’s explosive success comes from their 2025 debut K-pop / Hip-hop fusion EP, Color Outside the Lines.  The project has already reached one million units in Korea, fueled by the viral success of their leading singles “GO!” and “What You Want.”

Cortis’s five members – Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho – were formed under Big Hit Music, whose parent company HYBE, is the powerhouse label behind global icon BTS.

Only six months after their debut they have 7M monthly listeners on Spotify and 3M subscribers on YouTube.

A collaboration between Fly By Jing and food influencer Logan Moffitt sparked a furor after their product was introduced as the “first ever hot pot bomb”.

Another viral controversy has struck Asian TikTok and again, it revolves around Asian cuisine. What was meant to be a highly profitable collaboration turned into a heated online debate about the way Western creators talk about Asian foods.

Earlier in February, TikTok food influencer Logan Moffitt teamed up on a collaboration with Fly By Jing, a modern Sichuan food brand founded by Jing Gao. Together they created a new product called the Hot Pot Bomb which essentially was a compact cube of hot pot broth base so anyone could easily make at-home hot pot.

In the promotional video Logan uploaded to his 7.2 million TikTok followers, he described this product as the “first ever hot pot bomb”. This line did not sit well with many other Asian food creators and just the community overall. Immediately, users were commenting photos of hot pot bases and soup cube products that have existed in Asian grocery stores for years. Hot pot itself has simply been an old dining tradition across Asia, so when Logan called this product the “first ever”, it felt more like erasure yet again rather than innovation.

Most of the criticism revolved around the discussion of who should be seen as the “inventor”. Fly By Jing is a brand built on the celebration of Chinese culinary traditions, yet the face of the product launch was a white creator who introduced hot pot to millions of people as if it was brand new. TikTok users flooded the For You Page with discussions about Asian cuisines becoming mainstream only after being shared by Western influencers and some suggested that Fly By Jing should have collaborated with an Asian creator instead.

Logan later deleted the original post and put out a statement acknowledging that his wording was misleading and clarified that hot pot bases have been a thing for years, but by then the conversation was far past the marketing verbiage. The controversy isn’t just about hot pot soup base, it is about the growing sensitivity within the Asian community when it comes to credit and the monetization of culture. Asian cuisine continues to trend across social media and moments like this become less about the food and more about who gets recognized when tradition gets turned into profit.

From historic podium sweeps to record-breaking gold medals, Asian athletes are making headlines at Milano Cortina’s 2026 Winter Olympics.

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games have shone a brilliant spotlight on Asian athletic excellence.

Capturing gold in Team Figure Skating for the United States was a roster full of Asian Americans including Madison Chock, Alysa Liu, and Ellie Kam.  This victory accounts for one of the six U.S. gold medals, third best in the overall standings.

In men’s hockey, Canada’s Nick Suzuki scored in his debut against the Czech Republic. Canada has routed all three of its opponents remaining undefeated alongside the U.S.  Both teams are now on a collision course for the marquee gold medal game on February 22, the final day of the Milano Cortina Games.

Representing China, Eileen Gu earned two silver medals in Women’s Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air.  The San Francisco native accounts for two of China’s five total medals.

Japan provided a major highlight of the games when Ikuma Horishima skied over the finish line backwards to secure silver.  Snowboarder Kira Kimura claimed gold in the men’s big air event bringing Japan’s tally to four golds and 18 total medals, both the highest of any Asian nation.

Chloe Kim’s bid for a threepeat in the Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe fell just short, but her silver medal for the U.S. tied the record for the most medals in the event’s history.  Korea’s Gaon Choi earned gold becoming the youngest snowboarding gold medalist ever at age 17.  Mitsuki Ono took home the bronze for Japan, completing the first-ever all-Asian podium for the women’s snowboard halfpipe.