The somewhat tired stereotype of The Big Bang Theory hasn't aged particularly well, with a new breed of tech bros trying to prove it's not all thick glasses, retainers, and asthma inhalers.
Even Meta overlord Mark Zuckerberg has undergone something of a 'glow up', ditching his grey tee and flip-flop era for gold chains, khaki pants, and a solid gold Rolex Daytona Le Mans watch.
Steve Jobs was seen as something of a fashionista with his Issey Miyake turtlenecks, and Jeff Bezos looked the part at his bank-busing wedding, although many think Elon Musk should drop his 'dark' MAGA hat in favor of a more stylish wardrobe.
Still, with all of the above representing some of the richest people in the world, we doubt they're fussed about whether they look like they're worth a billion dollars or they've just rolled out of bed. With all that money and power, the USA's tech billionaires are attractive targets. Musk is said to have a 20-strong security team known as Voyager, and while that should make it pretty hard to get to him, one Russian 'sex spy' has issued a warning to the rest of the billionaire boys club.
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There were recent reports that China and Russia are deploying 'sex spies' to seduce important US figures, with senior intelligence sources referring to these 'honeypots' as a way to glean secrets about where America's ever-evolving tech scene is heading.
Although a representative from the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, has denied these seemingly scandalous claims, one Russian honeypot has given her own warning. Speaking to the New York Post, the 'sex spy' explained how foreign operatives are targeting Silicon Valley with romance scams and 'manufactured intimacy'.
As a former 'sexspionage' trainee, Aliia Roza claims she defected from Russia after she fell in love with one of her targets. Roza says she started being trained in these wily ways as a teenager, sounding like an X-rated version of Cate Shortland's Black Widow.
Sticking to a 'sinister playbook', Roza and other operatives are said to break down a target's defenses before they even realize they're a target: "They see the target, they need to get information. They need to manipulate the target, emotions, feelings, or whatever they can do, they will do it.”
Maintaining that China and Russia have an 'asymmetric advantage' because the USA refuses to employ the same tactics, Roza says that America's rivals see their operatives as expendable.
Expanding on what methods are used, Roza confessed: "You first appear in their life — seven times, to be exact — before making contact.
"You might show up at their coffee shop, their gym, or just keep liking their posts. When you finally meet, their brain already trusts you."
Once a bond is forged, Roza and other operatives will make their move: "It starts with love bombing — messages full of compliments, selfies, bikini photos. They pretend to be weak or alone: 'My parents were killed, I’m a student, I’m broke.’ It triggers the hero instinct. Every man wants to feel like the rescuer.”
After planting seeds of doubt that you aren't appreciated at work or by your boss, the agent will then pounce. Roza explained: "They’ll create stress — fear of losing the relationship. 'If you don’t send this information right now, I’ll disappear forever.’ Under that emotional rush, people give up things they never would otherwise."
Tech workers are said to be especially easy to target because they often work alone, and she says there's "a gap in between female interaction."
Having moved to the USA in 2020 and obtained her Green Card, Roza promises she's turned things around to focus on education. In terms of what advice she has for tech targets, she told workers to keep a 'methodical skepticism' where you slow things down, identify someone offline, and refuse any requests made about secrecy or urgency.