China Tech Talk

Latest Episodes:

20: Alipay vs WeChat and why smile to pay matters Sep 08, 2017

Show notes

Matt and John start with Alipay's recent "smile to pay" demo and end with a discussion on why WeChat went into payments in the first place. Along the way, they talk about:

Alipay and WeChat's money market funds
WeChat's new money market fund feature
The dangers and benefits of ubiquitous facial recognition
-The role WeChat and Alipay are playing in reshaping retail banking in China
-Whether Alipay can ever become a platform like WeChat

19: China's $20 billion news app with Dannie Li Aug 30, 2017

Show notes

This week Matt and John talk with Dannie Li, an analyst at China Tech Insights about Jinri Toutiao, a Chinese content aggregator recently valued at $20 billion, including:

Why Jinri Toutiao is so popular
How it is so sticky
Its business model and why its valuation is high
Why advertisers love it so much
Risks to the app and business model
Conflicts between Toutiao and content producers
Challenges as Toutiao expands inside and outside China

18: China's gaming and e-sports industry with Daniel Ahmad Aug 24, 2017

Show notes

This week Matt and John talk with Daniel Ahmad, an analyst at Niko Partners about:

The uniqueness of China's games market
The size of the e-sports industry
How gaming and e-sports are becoming more mainstream
Tencent's position in the games market
The role of Honour of Kings
Future prospects for gaming and e-sports in China

17: China's largest retailer with Josh Gartner Aug 18, 2017

Show notes

This week Matt and John talk with Josh Gartner, veteran China hand and VP for International Corporate Affairs at JD.com, about:

How JD stacks up against Amazon and Alibaba
Early challenges and a crucial pivot towards in-house logistics
Tencent as a major stakeholder
The move towards a greater offline presence
Drone deliveries to rural China

16: ICO madness and China's bitcoin fever with Neil Woodfine Aug 11, 2017

Show notes

This week Matt and John talk with Neil Woodfine, former COO at Remitsy about:

What bitcoin and blockchain are
What Ethereum might be
Why ICOs don't make sense
How bitcoin is going to play a bigger part in decentralized transactions
Why bitcoin is so big in China and should we be worried

15: Baidu ain't that bad with Kaiser Kuo Aug 04, 2017

Show notes

This week Matt and John talk with Kaiser Kuo, veteran China hand and former International Communications director for Baidu about:

What the early China internet was like
How he joined Baidu
How Chinese companies are like ice age tribes
VPNs in China
Future prospects for the company

14: Tencent's OTHER killer app Jul 28, 2017

Show notes

This week Matt and John talk about Honor of Kings aka Strike of Kings aka Arena of Glory, Tencent's uber popular mobile multiplayer game, including:

Background on mobile gaming and MOBA's
Why it's become a cultural phenomenon
Why Tencent is butting heads with the Communist Party newspaper
Which Chinese celebrities are investing in e-sports
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

13: AT's Southeast Asia entrance with Bernard Leong Jul 21, 2017

Show notes

This week John and Matthew talk with Bernard Leong, host of the Analyse Asia podcast, about Alibaba and Tencent's activity in Southeast Asia, including: