China vs US electricity generation
a16z's line chart drew 80.5K views on X: 1.1x its typical post and #34 of 43 a16z charts we track by views. Read Oct 14, 2026.
China generated half as much electricity as the US in 2005
Why it spread
It spread because the post paired a striking two point comparison with a large source audience, earning 677 likes, 96 reposts, 29 quotes, 118 saves, and 52,088 views, which is 2.0x the account's typical likes of 333.
What worked
- The post text uses a simple before and after contrast: China generated half as much electricity as the US in 2005, and today it generates more than 2x.
- The line chart clearly shows China electricity generation surpassing and far exceeding the US, with medium design polish and medium self labelling.
- The post is branded, includes a source line, comes from a top quarter source, and has an above average quote rate, all of which helped it travel.
What to borrow
We could use the same before and after framing with our own data, turning a long term change into one clear line chart with a source line and a short text hook.
Careful
Do not over-read the result as proof that the chart design alone caused the spread, since the account already has a large audience and the post benefits from many quotes and a big source.
Written by our analysis model from the measured numbers above, not by a16z.
Make it yours
Your numbers, in this line chart.
Starts from the real numbers of "China Generates More Than Twice As Much Electricity As America" by a16z. Replace every number with yours before you post. Make one like this, step by step
Free pictures carry a small "Made with ViralChart" line. That line is how other people find us.
API · Max
Use this chart via API
On the Max plan you can pull this chart's numbers with the provenance of each one, as JSON or CSV, with its redraw spec, or call it from an agent over MCP. Chart id 52bd91c25729.
| Path | Returns | Plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | /api/v1/charts/52bd91c25729 | Title, publisher, date, form, point count; with a Max key, the data link | Open |
| GET | /api/v1/charts/52bd91c25729/data | Every point with its provenance and confidence, plus the redraw spec. Add ?format=csv for CSV | Max |
| GET | /api/v1/charts/52bd91c25729/render?view=1 | The draw-only view this page uses | Open |
| POST | /mcp | Tool get_chart_data with this id, for Claude, Cursor and other agents | Max |
curl -s https://viral-chart.com/api/v1/charts/52bd91c25729/data \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $VIRALCHART_KEY"claude mcp add --transport http viralchart https://viral-chart.com/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $VIRALCHART_KEY"60 requests a minute per key; over that you get 429 with Retry-After. Up to 5 keys per account, made on your account page and shown once. Without Max, the data route answers 402 with a link to the plans. The numbers describe a chart its publisher owns, and every file carries a license note.
More from a16z
All 43
Other giants using a line chart
All 295
Questions people ask
How far did a16z's "China vs US electricity generation" chart travel?
80,517 views, 831 likes, 122 reposts and 153 saves on X, read Oct 14, 2026. A normal post from @a16z gets about 72.9K views.
What kind of chart is it?
A line chart. China electricity generation surpasses and far exceeds US.
Can I use a16z's chart?
Use the format, not the picture. The chart, logo and design belong to a16z. ViralChart redraws the chart type with your numbers and words, and credits the original publisher.