Elon Musk on Chinese-Russian Spy Seduction Tactics: 'If She’s a 10, You’re an Asset'

Elon musk React on China-Russia Espionage: SpaceX CEO and tech billionaire Elon Musk has responded to a report that claims agents from China and Russia are using “flirtation and deception” to spy on the US tech sector. The investigative report of Britain's The Times newspaper says that foreign intelligence agencies are now weaponizing espionage through "sex warfare," i.e., greed and attraction. Agents are posing as investors, entrepreneurs, or romantic partners to obtain sensitive information from American tech workers.

On this report, Musk wrote in a humorous tone on the social media platform, “If she's a 10, you're an asset.” (“If it's 10 out of 10, you're an asset.”) His comment is considered half joke and half warning, which went viral within a few hours.

Use of 'charm and deceit' in espionage

According to the report, American intelligence agencies are concerned about these “Seductive Spies” who are engaged in stealing trade secrets and intellectual property from tech companies.

Experts say that now the boundaries of human intelligence (HUMINT) and cyber espionage have become blurred. Now instead of hacking, emotional manipulation is being used to steal data. US national security analyst Jeff Stauff told The Times, "China is targeting our startups, universities, and innovators. This is part of its economic warfare strategy, and we haven't even entered the field yet."

James Mulvaney, another expert, said he received numerous requests from similar profiles on LinkedIn—"mostly attractive young Chinese women"—that appear to be part of an organized intelligence operation.

Growing trend of 'sex warfare'

US officials have warned that this “sex warfare” is not limited to molestation. In many cases, agents have even married aerospace and defense employees so that information can be obtained over a long period of time. A “beautiful Russian woman” married an American engineer and later infiltrated the crypto and defense tech worlds, a former official said. He called this “Lifelong Collection Operation.”

China's 'hole-of-society' spying policy

The report said that Beijing is now presenting espionage as a social responsibility, with students, businessmen, and citizens also playing the role of agents. One American official said, "We are no longer chasing KGB agents in smoke-filled rooms. Today our enemies—especially China—are building spy networks across entire societies."

Billion-dollar game

According to the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property, economic espionage and theft of trade secrets cost the United States approximately $600 billion each year, with China involved in most of the cases. In one case, German national Klaus Plugbill is accused of trying to sell Tesla blueprints for $15 million that could power China's EV ambitions.

‘Pitch Trap’ and ‘Honeytrap’

The report also revealed that some Chinese organizations trap American startups in the name of innovation contests or pitch events, where their ideas, data, and personal information are stolen. “They recorded everything—every word, every detail. Later, even my funding was stopped,” said the CEO of a biotech company.

Now US agencies like the FBI and NCSC are warning Silicon Valley companies to strengthen insider threat training and behavioral monitoring for their employees, because today the center of espionage has become not government offices but the labs and boardrooms of tech companies.