He Jiankui became a pariah in 2018 after creating the world’s first gene-edited babies, leading to a three-year prison sentence.
Now he has emerged as an attention-seeking influencer on the social media platform X, posting a combination of grandiose statements and provocative memes.
His social media success has been aided by his new wife, Cathy Tie, a former Thiel fellow and fellow entrepreneur who is now his outspoken partner in both romance and gene-editing dreams.
The couple, both under 30, married last month after a whirlwind romance, but Tie is now unable to travel to join her new husband in China, as she has been denied entry to the country.
She says she cannot be certain why, but suspects she is “on a watch list,” leaving her new marriage and joint business ventures in disarray.