Classic Form: When a cicada emerges, it leaves its old exoskeleton behind, perfectly intact. This creates the illusion that it is still there, allowing the real insect to escape unnoticed. The stratagem involves creating a decoy or facade to mask a retreat, transformation, or escape.
Modern Version: When an operation or organization is exposed, change its name, branding, or ownership structure while keeping the core mission, personnel, and control systems intact. The "shell" is discarded, but the "insect" continues its work under a new guise.
AI-Powered Execution: When an influence operation or front company is exposed, AI can be used to rapidly generate a new corporate identity. This includes creating a new name, logo, branding package, and even a superficial mission statement. The AI can then automatically file the necessary paperwork to create shell companies across multiple jurisdictions, allowing the core operation (the "insect") to escape and reconstitute while leaving a hollow, legal "shell" behind for investigators to chase. This is analogous to blue/green software releases, where a new version of a system is deployed in the background and traffic is seamlessly cut over, masking a significant underlying change.
CCP Application: After the U.S. government designated Confucius Institutes as foreign missions and they came under intense scrutiny for being propaganda and espionage platforms, the CCP began closing them down. This was the shedding of the "golden shell." However, many of these institutes have simply reappeared under new names like "Asia Language and Culture Centers" or have had their functions absorbed by other university departments, often with the same staff and funding channels. The form changed, but the function remained. Similarly, when TikTok faces regulatory heat over its data security practices, its parent company, ByteDance, engages in corporate restructuring and public relations campaigns to create the appearance of change, while the fundamental control structure and data access policies remain tied to Beijing.
Collaborators: University administrators and school boards who accept the rebranded entities, pretending not to notice the continuity of mission and personnel, often to preserve funding streams. Investors and business partners who are content with a superficial rebranding as long as it provides them with plausible deniability to continue their commercial relationships.
Counter: Follow the code, not the brand. Follow the contracts and the flow of money, not the name on the door. Policy and law must be based on function and control, not on superficial labels. Maintain institutional memory of exposed entities to prevent them from successfully re-infiltrating under a new name.