Voxcali

Inspired by the 16th-century novel A Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong challenged the dominance of Western mythology storytelling in role-playing games.

Western mythology dominated the gaming industry for years with Greek heroes and medieval tales until Chinese studio Game Science released Black Myth: Wukong, a game inspired by a classic Chinese novel that broke records overnight.

To understand the game we have to take a look at one of the great Chinese novels, A Journey to the West, written by Wu Cheng’en in the 16th-century during the Ming Dynasty. This story revolves around Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. He is an immortal monkey who was born from stone and has abilities to acquire superhuman strengths and transformative powers through Taoist practices.

Sun Wukong eventually becomes powerful enough to challenge Heaven, waging war against the highest forces in his desire for personal freedom from a low level position and Heaven’s demand for total subservience. After defeating divine generals his ego grew, but his rebellion ended with Buddha banishing him beneath a mountain for 500 years. He is later released under the condition that he serves as the protector of monk Tang Sanzang who is traveling west to find old Buddhist scriptures.

Throughout his journey, Wukong faces 81 trials which shifts his character from a troublemaker to a true guardian. In the end of Journey to the West, Wukong achieves enlightenment once he has mastered himself and is given the title “Victorious Fighting Buddha” in recognition of his discipline.

Four centuries later, Game Science would reveal Black Myth: Wukong in 2020, dropping a trailer that teased the game to audiences all around the world. The industry grew antsy to play Black Myth: Wukong as it didn’t officially launch until four years later on August 20, 2024. The game peaked with over 2.4 million players on the day of its release on gaming destination, Steam, making it one of the platform’s most played games ever.

The same year Black Myth: Wukong won Best Action Game and the Player’s Voice award at the 2024 Game Awards and also won Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards. Not only did Black Myth: Wukong solidify itself as a significant console title, it also proved that a story that comes from Chinese literature could stand at the same level as those from Western mythology.

The “SPAC King” Chamath Palihapitiya signals a bold new era for his multi-billion dollar portfolio.

Described as one of the most influential yet provocative figures in modern venture capital Chamath Palihapitiya possesses a net worth estimated at over $1.2 billion.

The bulk of his wealth stems from Social Capital, the VC firm he established in 2011.  The firm achieved immediate success through a series of high-yield early investments, including Yammer, which was acquired by Microsoft for $1.2 billion in 2012, Slack, which Salesforce acquired for $27.7 billion in 2021, and Box, which was valuated at $1.67 billion at its 2015 IPO.  Additionally he secured a massive windfall by moving into Bitcoin in 2013 when the digital asset was trading at a year-end price of just $732.

Palihapitiya gained widespread fame as the “SPAC King” for championing Special Purpose Acquisition Companies as a faster way for high-growth startups to go public.  SPACs, often called a “blank-check company,” is a shell corporation created solely to raise capital through an IPO for the purpose of acquiring or merging with an existing private company.

The largest SPAC-backed companies Palihapitiya took public were SoFi valued at $8.65B in 2021, Opendoor at $4.8B in 2020, and Clover Health at $3.7B in 2021.  The flagship deal that started the trend was 2019’s Virgin Galactic IPO valued at $1.5B.  Of those four companies SoFi is the only company with an increased valuation today, sparking critics of Palihapitiya.

For several years the SPAC frenzy had largely subsided until Palihapitiya signaled a bold return to the public markets in September 2025.  Channeling Michael Jordan’s iconic 1995 comeback, he announced, “I’m back,” alongside the launch of a new $345 million acquisition vehicle, American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp.  Palihapitiya now has until late 2027 to deploy this fresh capital, as the firm entered a two-year search period to identify a transformative company, likely coming from the AI, defense, DeFi, or energy sectors.

On February 9, 2026, Palihapitiya announced a significant expansion into fintech via Beast Industries, the conglomerate owned by YouTube sensation MrBeast.  Having anchored the company’s formation with a $45 million Series A investment in 2021, Palihapitiya revealed their latest move – the acquisition of Step, a banking platform tailored to Gen-Z.

The 49-year-old continues to manage over $2 billion in assets while simultaneously amplifying his public persona through the All-In Podcast, which has over 1 million subscribers on YouTube.  The thought leader has 1.9M followers on X and over 200K on LinkedIn.

Before the SPAC era Palihapitiya took Silicon Valley by storm becoming AOL’s youngest Vice President in history after acquiring Winamp, which he had joined in 1999.  He joined Facebook in 2007 where he scaled the platform’s user base from 50 million to nearly 1 billion users before his departure in 2011.

After founding Social Capital in 2011, Palihapitiya took a 10% minority stake in the Golden State Warriors.  He cashed out after an eleven-year run, watching the team’s value explode from $360M to $7B on the back of four NBA titles.

Palihapitiya was raised in Ottawa, Canada and born in Sri Lanka.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo in 1999.

Dragons fill the streets and restaurants are unveiling special menus as Los Angeles rings in the Lunar New Year.

Los Angeles is ready to welcome the Year of the Horse, so if you haven’t made your plans yet, this is how the city is celebrating Lunar New Year.

The Golden Dragon Parade is one of the most iconic celebrations and it will be returning for its 127th year on February 21st. Chinatown hosts the parade and fills the streets with dragon dancers, floats, and marching bands along with the thousands of people watching. If you’re looking for history, culture, and high energy all in one place, the Golden Dragon Parade is where you need to be.

For something more family friendly, grab your tickets for the Los Angeles Zoo on February 21st or 22nd. Spend the day enjoying traditional dance performances, floral arrangements, and special animal feedings. The LA Zoo transforms into a full cultural learning experience allowing families to learn while they welcome the Year of the Horse together.

If you want to avoid the large crowds, Crustacean Beverly Hills has you covered. Lunar New Year becomes a culinary celebration at Crustacean as legendary Chef An pulls out her special Heavenly & Earth Prosperity Menu from February 17th through the 22nd. On the 19th the restaurant will host a dragon dance along with other entertainment and li xi giveaways. Chef An’s dishes blend Vietnamese heritage with modern day luxury, so booking a table at Crustacean would be a glamorous way to start the New Year.

And finally if you really want to reel in the New Year with energy, sign up now for the 48th annual Firecracker Run happening February 28th through March 1st. This race is put together by the L.A. Chinatown Firecracker Run Committee to promote both fitness and culture. The 5K and 10K races, bike events, kiddie runs and 100,000 fireworks show make this celebration one of the most exciting.

Whichever way you celebrate and no matter what event you attend, there’s no city outside of Asia that does Lunar New Year quite like Los Angeles.

A long-distance romance inspired Eric Yuan to redefine how the world connects.

Eric Yuan is the founder and CEO of Zoom Communications, the company that popularized the virtual meeting and shifted how billions of people connect.

Zoom’s success story was driven by a love story.  Yuan was inspired to develop the software in college while in a long-distance relationship.

His vision came to fruition in 2011 when Zoom – originally named Saasbee – was founded with $3 million of seed money.  Eight years later the company’s IPO hit NASDAQ with a valuation over $9 billion. 

The pandemic-driven shift to remote work fundamentally transformed corporate operations, fueling an unprecedented demand for video conferencing solutions.  Zoom hit all-time highs in October 2020 with a market cap over $160 billion.  During this time the company commanded over half of the video conferencing market.

Today Yuan’s net worth is estimated at $6 billion.

Before Zoom disrupted the telecommunications industry, Yuan was a founding engineer at Webex starting in 1997.  He continued his tenure following Cisco’s acquisition of the firm in 2007.  Four years later he ventured into entrepreneurship to build the modern, mobile-friendly video conferencing platform we know today.

Born and raised in Tai’an, China, Yuan’s journey to Silicon Valley was one of persistence – his U.S. visa application was denied eight times before he finally succeeded on his ninth attempt in 1997.  Ten years later he became a naturalized citizen.

The 55-year-old holds a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and a master’s in geology engineering from the Shandong University of Science and Technology.

Yuan sees the future of Zoom as an AI-powered “workplace” platform.  Its current AI features support over 30 different languages, enabling automated summaries to begin project management.  Yuan believes that as AI begins to proactively take action on behalf of employees, productivity will fundamentally be redefined – potentially paving the way for a three-day workweek.

After a meniscus injury derailed his momentum in Philadelphia, the former Duke standout heads to the Thunder for a career reset.

Filipino American shooting guard Jared McCain has found a new home with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who added even more young talent to their roster at the trade deadline.

With McCain tied to a four-year $19.5M rookie contract, the move offers significant upside for the Thunder, as he has the potential to provide value far exceeding his price tag.  For McCain, his departure from Philadelphia marks a career reset following a turbulent sophomore campaign.

After a meniscus tear cut his rookie year short, McCain found the road to recovery to be steeper than expected.  A 35% decrease in playing time made it difficult for him to find any offensive rhythm as he worked to regain his explosive scoring ability with the 76ers.  Subsequently, his scoring average plummeted to 6.6 points per game, a sharp fall from his pre-injury mark of 15.3.  He went ice-cold upon his return in November, going 0-for-9 in his first four games.  The sophomore slump persisted with a shooting percentage of just 38.5%.

Before his injury sidelined him in December 2024, McCain’s performance put him in Rookie of the Year conversations.  He recorded a career-high 34 points and 10 assists in a matchup against a conference contender, helping him secure November’s Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors.

McCain was selected 16th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft following a successful one-and-done season at Duke.  There he led the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight while averaging 21 points per game in the tournament.  The 6’3” sharpshooter earned ACC All-Rookie Team honors.

Off the court McCain is known for his social media presence tallying 7 million followers between TikTok and Instagram.  Since his days as a consensus 5-star prospect in Corona, California, he has shared his charming personality through dance trends and vlogs, famously embracing his love for nail polish.  McCain’s authenticity has translated into brand partnerships with Sally Hansen and American Eagle.

The 21-year-old heads to Oklahoma City with the chance to move past his injury woes and integrate his energy into the Thunder’s rising core.

IVE kicks off their REVIVE+ era with the high-energy EDM single “Bang Bang” following a massive viral buildup.

On February 9th K-Pop powerhouse IVE released “Bang Bang,” a high-energy EDM track serving as the lead single for their new album, REVIVE+, arriving later this month.

Fans were so eager for the drop that a fake, fan-made edit went viral hitting nearly 500,000 views in just two days.

IVE has cemented their status as a force in the current K-pop era with 5 million YouTube subscribers and 6 million monthly Spotify listeners.  Of their 13 Korean-language singles, six reached number one domestically and seven reached top-10 on the US World charts.

Their most recent number one hit, “Rebel Heart,” was released in January 2025 on their fifth EP, Ive Empathy.

In late 2024 IVE unveiled a high-profile collaboration with producer David Guetta on their second all English-language single “Supernova Love.”  Their first came earlier that year on a track featuring Saweetie, “All Night.”

The group’s presence surged in 2023 with I’ve IVE, their first full-length studio album.  It reached number one in Korea with lead singles “I Am” and “Kitsch.”

Their steep ascent was set in motion during their breakout year, 2022, in which they released their two most popular tracks, “Love Dive” and “After Like.”

IVE debuted late 2021 with the Korean and Japanese song “Eleven.”

Five of IVE’s members hail from Korea, with Rei being the group’s lone Japanese member.  Their combined Instagram accounts have over 42 million followers with Jang Won-young having the highest individual count.

Steve Chen made video-sharing an industry and an obsession.

Without YouTube, the internet would be much quieter and less creative. There would be no influencers, music videos, or instant tutorials and Taiwanese American Steve Chen is the one who played a crucial role in unlocking the future of video sharing.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Steve Chen immigrated to the United States with his family in 1986 when he was seven years old. The Chen family settled in Arlington Heights, Illinois where Steve attended high school at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. He later pursued his degree in computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before dropping out during his senior year to work for PayPal in Silicon Valley.

While working at Paypal, Steve met his YouTube co-founders, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim and together they saw an opportunity that would make sharing videos online easier than ever. During the early 2000s, there were internet blogs and photo sharing sites, but sharing videos was much more complicated, so in 2005 the trio launched YouTube as a platform that allowed anyone to upload and watch videos immediately.

On April 23, 2005 the very first video was uploaded to Youtube. It was titled “Me at the zoo”, an 18 second video uploaded by Jawed Karim, and from there the site exploded. Steve Chen was leading the way as Chief Technology Officer. Under his guidance, the YouTube team was able to work on and solve crucial engineering challenges like how to stream and scale massive amounts of video at one time and within one year, millions of people were visiting the platform every day.

In October 2006, YouTube was sold to Google for $1.65 billion, with Steve also receiving 625,366 shares of Google as well as an additional 68,721 in a trust. This was one of the most significant tech acquisitions of the 2000s era as this deal helped transform YouTube into the trusted platform we know today.

Steve Chen’s impact went far from unnoticed as he has been named in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People and Business 2.0’s 50 People Who Matter Now. Not only did Steve Chen help create the infrastructure of modern video sharing culture, he helped build a world where anyone with an idea can be seen and heard.

Here’s how red envelope giving is broken down during Lunar New Year, from lucky amounts to properly accepting your blessings.

Lunar New Year is just around the corner and there is one tradition that everyone is excited for. Red envelopes, or li xi in Vietnamese, hongbao in Mandarin and lai see in Cantonese. These red packets are filled with cash and good luck and today we will break down the math that’s inside.

Let’s start with who gives red envelopes? Usually they are given by parents and older relatives to younger children and other family members to pass on good luck for the new year. So if you marry into a family that celebrates the New Year, consider yourself officially part of the group of givers. Red envelopes can also be extended to employees, friends, and service workers as a sign of appreciation and blessings to come.

Now let’s talk numbers because there is a strategy behind how much cash goes into each envelope. Amounts increase based on age and relationship to the receiver. Young kids and acquaintances often get smaller bills, but a true red envelope giver will place a lucky $2 bill inside as a more symbolic gift. Teens and college students may receive bigger bills like tens and twenties depending on how close the relative is.

While it is not required, it is common to show parents and grandparents respect and gratitude as well during the New Year. Generally once you are financially independent or married, presenting a red envelope to your elders is seen as a way to wish them longevity. When giving one to an elder, it is common to place one or two hundred dollar bills inside.

Beyond the bills themselves, the exact number value can also matter just as much. Numbers ending in 6 or 8 are associated with wealth and prosperity and numbers like 4 are to be avoided as it can sound similar to the word for death in some Chinese dialects.

If you are receiving a red envelope this year, remember to always accept it with both hands and return the New Year’s wishes back. It is also considered rude to open up your red packet in front of the person who gave it to you because at the end of the day it isn’t all about the cash, but rather those who are sending good fortune into your year ahead.

After discovering acne patches in Seoul, Ju Rhyu launched Hero Cosmetics and built it into a $630 million empire.

Hero Cosmetics changed acne care in the U.S. forever with the Mighty Patch and behind this beauty empire is Korean American, Ju Rhyu.

Born in Korea, Ju immigrated to the United States with her family at just three years old. She grew up in Seattle where her father ran his own business as a log broker and seeing the way he independently worked led Ju to want to have her own business one day. She graduated from Brown University and later earned her MBA from Columbia Business School to strengthen her expertise in marketing.

After college, she began building her corporate resume working at companies like Kraft Foods and American Express, focusing on brand innovation. In the early 2010s, Ju was working in Seoul for Samsung when she had made a discovery that would transform her life. She was noticing people wearing tiny patches on their pimples in public, leading her to try one for herself. When she peeled off her pimple patch the next morning, it had flattened overnight and she realized that this needs to exist in America.

Ju worked on her product and packaging and with the help of her co-founders, brothers Dwight and Andrew Lee, Hero launched on Amazon in 2017 with just one product, the Mighty Patch, which sold out in 90 days. Influencer gifting allowed Hero to begin to grow through word of mouth on social media platforms and customers began to post their visible before-and-after results, marking the beginning of a new beauty revolution.

In 2018 Hero began to expand, releasing other skincare solutions, but the Mighty Patch continued to stay on top. The brand began to be available on shelves at Target and suddenly pimple patches were now a part of American beauty routines. Reviews were pouring in and Mighty Patch was soon the number one acne patch in the United States with millions of units sold.

By the early 2020s, Hero was crossing $100 million in annual revenue, making it one of the fastest-growing skincare brands to date, but in 2022, Hero Cosmetics was acquired by Church & Dwight for $630 million. Since then Ju took up a role as a Specialty Advisor for hair and skin at Church & Dwight where she has also continued to help with the Hero brand.

Ju Rhyu’s success with Hero started a full cultural shift. People used to hide their breakouts with makeup, but after Mighty Patch, customers wear their treatments proudly, making skin care more normal and empowering for everyone.

As the founding CTO of LinkedIn, Eric Ly transformed how 400 million professionals connect.

Eric Ly is the co-founder and founding Chief Technology Officer of LinkedIn, the platform that digitized the handshake for a global workforce of over 400 million users.

A pioneer of the “social graph,” Ly was instrumental in designing LinkedIn’s core architecture and search capabilities that aided his vision for using technology as a tool for human connection.  This concept steered LinkedIn from a 2002 Silicon Valley startup into its eventual $26.2 billion acquisition by Microsoft in 2016.

Since his departure in 2006 the serial-entrepreneur has founded three companies – networking facilitator Presdo in 2007, its spinoff blockchain project, Hub in 2017, and credentialing servicer KarmaCheck in 2018, where the 57-year-old currently serves as CEO.

Prior to LinkedIn Ly honed his expertise as a software engineer at IBM, Vinod Khosla’s Sun Microsystems, and General Magic.

Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Ly emigrated to the United States at age six due to the Vietnam War.  Raised in Sunnyvale, California he graduated with a bachelor of science in symbolic systems from Stanford in 1991, a master of science from MIT in 1993, and earned a doctorate in computer science from Stanford in 1994.