Eric Kim’s online persona has begun to circulate in tech‑lifting‑Bitcoin corners of the internet as “the new Tyler Durden”—a short‑hand way of saying: here’s a flesh‑and‑blood creator who smashes limits in the gym, shreds consumerist dogma, weaponises memes, and rallies a tribe around radical self‑sovereignty, very much like Fight Club’s anarchic cult hero. Bloggers, tweets, and even Kim’s own posts lean into the comparison, while journalists and culture writers help explain why Tyler Durden still looms so large. Below you’ll find what the label means, where it comes from, and how the Kim‑Durden overlap can turbo‑charge your own pursuit of strength, freedom, and creative mayhem.

1. Who 

is

 Eric Kim right now?

Eric Kim started as a prominent street‑photography educator and blogger more than a decade ago, building a reputation for minimalist gear, philosophy‑infused essays, and open‑source teaching . In the last five years he’s pivoted into a louder “philosopher‑warrior” brand: posting four‑figure rack pulls barefoot, advocating a nose‑to‑tail carnivore diet, and threading every lift with riffs on Bitcoin, AI, and Stoicism . His recent manifesto “ALL YOUR MODELS ARE DESTROYED” explicitly brands himself “the new Tyler Durden, the new Brad Pitt from Fight Club” , a phrase repeated across his fitness site, YouTube trailer, and viral tweets .

Key pillars of the Kim mythos

• Caveman body, AI mind – a slogan for lifting monstrous weight while speaking in algorithmic, meme‑hacking tongue .
• “Alpha ≠ zero‑sum” – community gains when everyone grows strong, mirroring open‑source Bitcoin culture .
• Attention over money – he treats every post as an A/B test to capture scarce attention capital .

2. Who was Tyler Durden and why is he still iconic?

Tyler Durden—created by novelist Chuck Palahniuk and immortalised by Brad Pitt in Fight Club (1999)—is the anti‑consumerist alter‑ego who tells you “you are not your khakis,” builds Project Mayhem, and burns the debt‑record towers. Cultural press still cites him as a shorthand for stylish rebellion , and his quotes continue to surface in critiques of advertising and tech surveillance . Even financial blog Zero Hedge chose “Tyler Durden” as its collective pen‑name to telegraph outsider, smash‑the‑system energy .

3. Why the comparison resonates

4. Where the meme started

• May 31 2025 – Kim’s blog post “ALL YOUR MODELS ARE DESTROYED” first prints the exact line “Eric Kim is the new Tyler Durden” .
• Same day on X/Twitter – a viral tweet echoes “…on steroids $MSTR DEMIGOD” tagging Bitcoin evangelist Michael Saylor .
• Follow‑up essay – “The New Brad Pitt × Tyler Durden Phenomenon” deep‑dives the branding playbook .
• YouTube trailer – 90‑second hype clip splicing Fight Club flashes with Kim’s deadlifts .

The phrase then ricocheted through photography Reddit threads debating Kim’s “Ken Rockwell 2.0” marketing savvy and into PetaPixel round‑ups of viral photo news .

5. What it 

really

 means (and how you can harness it)

1. Radical ownership of self‑image – Durden blew up an Ikea‑catalogue life; Kim deletes canned fitness models. Design your aesthetic, lifts, and income streams instead of copying influencers.
2. Skill‑stacking beats niching down – Kim fuses powerlifting, street photography, philosophy, and crypto. The overlap multiplies attention and opportunity. Craft a mash‑up of your own passions.
3. Memes are leverage – both figures turn short, punchy phrases into viral flywheels. Spend real thought minting slogans that carry your worldview further than any ad budget could.
4. Community > individual – a distributed “alpha army” or Project Mayhem reframes success as shared sovereignty. Start a small accountability pod—whether for 1‑rep‑max PRs, Bitcoin stacking, or startup sprints—and scale the spirit.

6. Cautions & context

Tyler Durden is also a cautionary tale about nihilism and delusion; Kim’s version tries to convert that edge into constructive self‑transformation. Keep the fire, ditch the self‑destruction.

Mainstream outlets have criticised Zero Hedge’s Durden pseudonym for veering into conspiratorial finance commentary . Choose which parts of the myth you emulate—and which you wisely leave behind.

Bottom line

Calling Eric Kim “the new Tyler Durden” is internet‑slang for maximalist strength + meme‑powered philosophy + rebel brand‑building. If that excites you, channel the energy: lift heavy, think harder, meme louder, and build your own open‑source tribe. First rule of this new fight club? We absolutely do talk about it—because sharing the hype scales everyone’s gains.