As the coronavirus swept through China, communities, local governments, and business have been trying to figure out how to best follow social isolation rules. This being China, of course, tech majors and telcos jumped at the chance to serve the country by leveraging their vast data pools. But how much tech is actually behind the country's health code systems? Should we be more worried about how China is using data. Links Become a member of TechNode Squared Our newsletters TechNode’s coverage of ...
May 29, 2020•33 min•Ep. 89
The coronavirus epidemic doesn't show any signs of getting any better just yet. While the future of the outbreak is still unclear, the winners and losers of this are clear. In this episode, Matt and John discuss how the coronavirus is changing the face of tech in China. Links Become a member of TechNode Squared Our newsletters TechNode's coverage of the coronavirus Hosts John Artman , @knowsnothing , TechNode Matthew Brennan , @mbrennanchina , ChinaChannel Editor Peter Isachenko Podcast informat...
Feb 10, 2020•38 min•Ep. 88
This episode, Matt and John embark on a wide-ranging discussion about China tech in 2019. Using Bytedance as a lens, they explore the disruptive power of new companies, Bytedance's successes and challenges outside of China, as well as what the world is learning from China tech. Key Questions What's changed with Bytedance since we last talked about them? What challenges are they facing outside of China? How are other countries dealing with highly successful Chinese consumer products? How is Byted...
Dec 12, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 87
China's social credit system (SCS) gets a lot of attention outside of China yet it's still very misunderstood. Many scholars and China watchers have shed light on the topic, but none have done it so concisely and accessibly as Kendra Schaefer and her team at Trivium China. She joins us this week to explain how the SCS is a broad framework for better regulation and enforcement and how it applies to companies, individuals, and government agencies. Key questions What is the purpose of the SCS? How ...
Oct 31, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 86
After an extended hiatus, John and Matt are back! This week, they look at the increasingly effective trend of private traffic. Powered by WeChat and its mini programs, marketers and brands are increasingly creating and driving organic traffic to their shops. Like owned traffic in the West, this is a direct response to the rising costs of reaching fans and followers. Matt delivered a presentation on the topic during the ChinaChat 2019 conference and they take a deep dive into the phenomenon this ...
Oct 21, 2019•54 min•Ep. 85
Just weeks after Facebook announced their Libra cryptocurrency project, the People's Bank of China has become quite vocal about their on-going project. Most recently, the PBOC announced that China's digital currency is "nearly ready." Following on from our previous conversation about Libra and QQ Coin, this week we're joined by Zennon Kapron, director of Kapronasia, to look at what Libra means in a global context as well as China's plans to launch its own digital currency. Key questions What are...
Sep 02, 2019•53 min•Ep. 84
At the end of 2018, Connie Chan of Andreesen Horowitz, wrote about how podcasts in China monetize. However, what she calls podcasts aren't really what we call podcasts: they're more like paid-for educational audio content. Podcasting, like what we do at China Tech Talk, is actually still very immature in China. But that doesn't mean there aren't content creators following the "traditional" podcasting model. To talk about this, we're joined this week by Rio Zhan, early stage VC and host of the Cr...
Aug 11, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 83
In the tech and startup ecosystem, there's always another conference to attend. The landscape isn't all that clear, however, with some conferences getting more public hype and others keeping it low-key. After organizing and attending many of them, John and Matt sit down this week to go over what's out available, what makes certain conferences different, and which are some of the best to attend and why. Key questions What kinds of conferences are there? What should you consider before going to a ...
Jul 30, 2019•48 min•Ep. 82
In June, Carrefour sold 80% of its China operations to electronics retailer Suning. The news is representative of a much broader shift in the new retails space. When we first covered new retail in 2018, unmanned stores were gaining traction and it was unclear if Alibaba was going to win. In 1.5 years, unmanned stores are almost dead and Alibaba is a clear winner. To discuss this shift, we're happy to welcome Michael Norris, research and strategy manager at AgencyChina. This episode was recorded ...
Jul 17, 2019•54 min•Ep. 81
On June 18, Facebook announced the Libra cryptocurrency, a solution to their P2P payments conundrum. As to be expected, this move has gotten a lot of attention. In China, that attention has taken the form of comparing Libra to Tencent's breakthrough Q Coin as well as how WeChat has integrated payments. Key questions: What is Q Coin? What's the difference between a virtual currency and a cryptocurrency? What is the relationship between Libra, Calibra, and Facebook? Will China ever have something ...
Jul 03, 2019•56 min•Ep. 80
Facial recognition has taken off in China. Perhaps the most widely implemented use case, facial recognition is used to deter jaywalkers, track attention and behavior in schools, catch criminals, monitor live streamers, and more. Unlike Western countries, China's privacy protections laws are almost non-existent, but that is changing with draft legislation soon to be released Key questions: What is China's plan for facial recognition? How is facial recognition being used now? What are the local at...
Jun 03, 2019•45 min•Ep. 80
Last week, the White House announced a ban on US companies doing business with companies deemed a security risk. Over the weekend, Google announces that they must suspend Huawei's access to Android. This episode, Matt and John have a short discussion about what the announcement means for Huawei and what the company may be able to do about it. Correction: In this episode, John says that "HongMeng OS" could be translated as "Red Dream." This is incorrect. The characters for HongMeng are 鸿蒙 and ref...
May 21, 2019•36 min•Ep. 79
China’s online peer-to-peer lending industry has been in turmoil for the last three years as financial regulators have clamped down as part of “de-risking” efforts. Tuandai.com, a top P2P lender, collapsed in March due to turnover problems. As of February, the platform had more than 220,000 investors with RMB 14.5 billion ($2.15 billion) in outstanding loans. The company is under investigation for illegal fundraising, leading to the arrest of 41 people so far, including co-owners Tang Jun and Zh...
May 07, 2019•52 min•Ep. 77
With the number of English speakers around the world, it's no surprise that Chinese AI experts and engineers are keeping up with developments across the Pacific. However, the same is not true when it comes to the Chinese language. Indeed, Andrew Ng, former Chief Scientist at Baidu and co-founder of Coursera, made this exact point years ago when interviewed about China's AI progress. Jeffrey Ding, China lead for the Center for the Governance of AI, is trying to change that information asymmetry w...
Apr 16, 2019•49 min•Ep. 76
Free cash flow is cash a company can use for whatever they want. If Pinduoduo is free cash flow positive they’ll likely be able to continue their growth spend and get even larger. If its free cash flow negative, the growth plan will put too much strain on their cash position and, it will eventually fail. To say it simply: the stakes are high. This week, we're joined by James Hull, professional investor and co-host of the China Tech Investor podcast, to take a look at Pinduoduo's actual financial...
Apr 09, 2019•53 min•Ep. 75
One of the earliest companies to get into bitcoin mining, Bitmain makes and sells mining equipment and manages one of the world's largest bitcoin mining pools. A controversial company in the space (as are most), Bitmain backed the Bitcoin Cash fork as well as the subsequent fork into Bitcoin Cash ABC. This week we are joined by Nishant Sharma, International PR and Communications Director at Bitmain, to talk about the company, some of their tech, as well as their future plans. This episode was re...
Mar 18, 2019•48 min•Ep. 74
All of China's most visible mobility players have undergone significant change over the last 12 months. Ofo is on the verge of collapse, Mobike is now Meituan Bike, and Didi is grappling with how to move past their existential safety problem. Links Failures and opportunities: A pivotal moment for China’s mobility industry TechNode Podcast Network Hosts John Artman , @knowsnothing , TechNode Matthew Brennan , @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel Producer Peter Isachenko Podcast information iTunes RSS fee...
Mar 03, 2019•53 min•Ep. 73
Early last year, the central government put a freeze on gaming approvals, shutting out many big titles from making money, including PUBG and Fortnite. However, in December, they reopened approvals only to find themselves with a 6-month backlog, leaving giants Tencent and Netease still unable to monetize their biggest hits. Daniel Ahmad, analyst at Niko Partners, joins us again to talk gaming regulation in China, the role of mini games in the WeChat vs Douyin battle, and how Steam is faring in th...
Feb 25, 2019•55 min•Ep. 73
While everyone is talking about China's expansion into Southeast Asia, China's largest neighbor has become the real target for China's tech companies. This week, Shadma Shaikh, writer at Factor Daily, joins us to discuss the takeover and what Indian entrepreneurs are learning from their Chinese counterparts.
Jan 28, 2019•45 min•Ep. 72
This week saw a multitude of messaging app announcements. First was WeChat's Open Class PRO featuring a four-hour speech from Allen Zhang. Then, on the same day, Bytedance announced their own messaging app (Duoshan 多闪), what appears to be a clone of Snapchat, and Bullet Messenger announced their upgrade and rebrand to Liaotianbao (聊天宝). All three events, and the recent update to WeChat 7.0, raise interesting questions about the messaging market, WeChat's primacy, and the ascendancy of Bytedance....
Jan 16, 2019•57 min•Ep. 71
This week, Matt and John take a look at the stories and trends of 2018, including gaming restrictions, Tencent's restructuring, the delivery and coffee wars, WeChat mini programs, and Bullet Messenger
Jan 01, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 70
This week, Matt and John take a look at the stories and trends of 2018, including ZTE/Huawei, AI in China, Bytedance, blockchain, and the death of bike rentals. This is the first of two parts.
Dec 22, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 69
This week, John and Matt talk with Shai Oster, Asia bureau chief for The Information, about the rash of Chinese IPOs in a down market, looking at Tencent Music, Xiaomi, Pinduoduo, Meituan Dianping. We also talk about the possibilities for Bytedance and Ant Financial IPOs in 2019. Links China Tech Talk 49: The Xiaomi IPO with The Information’s Shai Oster What China’s history of overseas tech IPOs says about the current wave TechNode IPO coverage Sign up for TechNode newsletters Subscribe to The I...
Dec 16, 2018•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 68
Bytedance, formerly known as Jinri Toutiao, is on deck for discussion this week. Beginning from pure textual content and recommendation, Bytedance has seemingly found the key to human attention. While this makes for a great product, and compelling business, whether they can make it in the US market is still unclear.
Dec 09, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 67
China Tech Investors is the latest addition to the TechNode podcast network. Each week, the hosts look at publicly listed Chinese companies and have an interview with an expert to talk about companies and issues affecting the markets. This week they talk G20 and China-US tensions with Chris Balding. Search in iTunes or your favorite podcast app for "China Tech Investor" to subscribe.
Dec 07, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 66
Ted Hopkins, Senior Director of Walmart Ecommerce, joins us to talk about mini programs, eliminating lines in stores, and the future of retail in China.
Dec 05, 2018•44 min•Ep. 65
Alvin Wang Graylin joins us this week from the sidelines of TechCrunch Shenzhen to talk about the broader potential of VR and the specific outlook for VR in China.
Nov 27, 2018•53 min•Ep. 64
Wang Boyuan is back! This time we're talking about Mafengwo and the curious case of extremely unreliable numbers in China. Not only Mafengwo, but also Alibaba, JD.com, and Dianping are mentioned in the discussion. Guest Wang Boyuan – @thisboyuan Hosts John Artman, @knowsnothing Matthew Brennan, @mbrennanchina
Nov 08, 2018•54 min•Ep. 63
Kai-Fu Lee joins us this week to talk about his new book, AI Superpowers, and the distinct advantages and differences between the US and China in this increasingly important technology.
Oct 24, 2018•48 min•Ep. 62
Ahead of Tencent Music Entertainment's IPO, John and Matt are joined by Wang Boyuan, translator and editor of TechCrunch.cn, to take a look back at how the music industry has been influenced by tech as well as the evolving online music market, now dominated by Tencent.
Oct 17, 2018•53 min•Ep. 61
