China Tech Talk

89: Just how much tech is in China's health code? May 29, 2020

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.

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Guest

David Cohen, @MartynvanBuren

Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: “Theme from Penguins on Parade” by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

88: Coronavirus & China tech: Winners and losers Feb 10, 2020

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.
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Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: “Theme from Penguins on Parade” by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

87: China tech through the lens of Bytedance Dec 12, 2019

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 Bytedance acting as a disruptor at home and abroad?
What should we be thinking about as 2019 comes to a close?

Links

Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: “Theme from Penguins on Parade” by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

86: China's social credit system: Everything you know is wrong with Kendra Schaefer Oct 31, 2019

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 far along is its development?
Is the SCS only for individuals?
How does the SCS apply to companies?
How are China's cities gamifying SCS?

Links

Guest

Kendra Shaefer, @triviumchina

Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: “Theme from Penguins on Parade” by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

85: Private traffic in China — Taking back the power from platforms Oct 21, 2019

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 week.

Key questions

What is private traffic?
Why are brands resorting to this method?
How does private traffic work?
How do WeChat and Tencent view private traffic?
What are traditional e-commerce platforms like Taobao doing to combat private traffic?

Links

Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: “Theme from Penguins on Parade” by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

84: Facebook's Libra and China's Central Bank with Zennon Kapron Sep 02, 2019

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 the biggest implementation and adoption challenges for Libra?
Why don't governments like cryptocurrency?
How does a digital currency affect the RMB's status?
What are the downsides of a digital fiat currency?

Links

Guest

Zennon Kapron, @ZennonKapron

Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: “Theme from Penguins on Parade” by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

83: Podcasting and why the open web is dead in China with Rio Zhan Aug 11, 2019

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 Crazy Capital podcast. We share notes on podcasting and talk about how China's content models have evolved away from the open web.

Key questions

Why is the China market different for audio content?
Why is the open web almost non-existent in China?
What role does culture play in creating acceptance of paying for content?
How might Facebook's Libra enable monetization for Western podcasts?

Links

Guest

Rio Zhan, @RioJot

Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

82: Tech conferences in China Jul 30, 2019

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 conference in China?
How do conferences monetize?
How much work goes into a successful conference?

Links

Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

81: The new new retail with Michael Norris Jul 17, 2019

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 on June 25, 2019.

Key questions:

Why would Suning be interested in Carrefour?
How did JD lose the new retail battle?
What makes Hema and the Alibaba model so successful?
What makes the China market so difficult for non-China retailers?

Links

New Retail Keynote (Dropbox)
Carrefour sells 80 per cent of its Chinese retail operations to Suning for 4.8 billion yuan
Why it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee on Luckin
WeChat Conference: CHina CHat 2019!
Become a member of TechNode Squared

Guest

Michael Norris, LinkedIn

Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

80: Libra lessons from WeChat and QQ Jul 03, 2019

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 like this?

Links

Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

79: Facial recognition, AI, and privacy in China with Zen Soo Jun 03, 2019

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 attitudes toward the technology?

Links

Guest

Zen Soo, @zensoo, SCMP

Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

78: Hot take—Huawei after Google May 21, 2019

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 refers to the Chinese mythology's primal chaos.

Links

Hosts

Editor

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

77: Peer-to-peer lending in China—Tech-driven shadow banking with Andrew Polk May 07, 2019

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 Zhang Lin.

This week, Andrew Polk, partner at Trivium China, joins us to discuss what's happening with the P2P lending industry in China.

Key questions:

What role has the government played in the growth and death of P2P lending?
How is the crackdown on cryptocurrency different from the tightening regulations around P2P lending?
Are P2P companies really tech companies, as many claim?
Can we expect companies like Dianrong to survive this round of government scrutiny?

Links

Guest

Andrew Polk, @andrewpolk81

Hosts

Producer

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

76: US vs China—AI asymmetries with Jeffrey Ding Apr 16, 2019

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 with his ChinAI newsletter featuring translations of Chinese thought leadership in AI.

Links

Guest

Jeffrey Ding, @jjding99

Hosts

Producer

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

75: Pinduoduo's free cash flow problem with James Hull Apr 09, 2019

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 health.

Links

Guest

James Hull, @jameshullx

Hosts

Producer

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

74: Bitmain, Bitcoin Cash, and the future of crypto with Nishant Sharma Mar 18, 2019

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 recorded on January 31, 2019.

Links

Guest

Nishant Sharma, @nishantsharma87, LinkedIn

Hosts

Producer

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

73: Mobility's maturation and misery: One ofo doesn't ruin everything Mar 03, 2019

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

Hosts

Producer

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

72: Gaming regulation rectification with Daniel Ahmad Feb 25, 2019

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 the Middle Kingdom.

Links

Guest

Daniel Ahmad, @ZhuGEX

Hosts

Producer

Peter Isachenko

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

71: The Chinese takeover of the Indian app ecosystem with Shadma Shaikh Jan 28, 2019

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.

70: WeChat vs TikTok: China's Stories Jan 16, 2019

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.

69: Restrictions and restructurings — 2018 in review, part 2 Jan 01, 2019

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

68: The year that tech became political — 2018 in review, part 1 Dec 22, 2018

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.

67: IPOs in a bear market with Shai Oster Dec 16, 2018

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

Guest

Shai Oster - The Information author page, @beijingscribe

Hosts

Podcast information

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China Tech Talk.com
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

66: The next Facebook will be Chinese Dec 09, 2018

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.

Introducing China Tech Investors Dec 07, 2018

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.

65: Walmart China: Ted Hopkins live from TechCrunch Shenzhen Dec 05, 2018

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.

64: China's VR market: Alvin Wang Graylin live from TechCrunch Shenzhen Nov 27, 2018

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.

63: Mafengwo and fake numbers in China Nov 08, 2018

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

62: AI Superpowers with Kai-Fu Lee Oct 24, 2018

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.

61: How technology has changed music in China Oct 17, 2018

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.

60 (updated): How to make a billion dollar company in China with Fritz Demopoulos Oct 11, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk Fritz Demopoulos, founding partner of Queens Capital, about his journey at Qunar, how the company was founded, challenges they faced building the company, and advice for entrepreneurs in China today.

59: China's cybersecurity law: GDPR for the Middle Kingdom with Samm Sacks Sep 25, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk with Samm Sacks, Senior Fellow, Technology Policy Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, about China's cybersecurity law and how it relates to the social credit system as well as the future of data regulation in China.

58: Is Bullet Messenger a WeChat killer? Sep 12, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk about the messaging app that's shot like a bullet (pun intended) to top of app store charts as well as brief discussion of shady PR and persuasion practices in China.

57: The secret history of WeChat with Heatherm Huang Aug 22, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk with Heatherm Huang, a founding member of TalkBox, one of the first chat apps with push-to-talk functionality, about the history of chat message apps in China.

56: China coffee wars revisited: Luckin vs Starbaba Aug 13, 2018

This week, John and Matt look at the recent developments in China's emerging coffee conflict and examine the Tencent/Alibaba turf war, whether the Starbaba tie-up will be a game changer, and the power of rethinking business models for the mobile age.

55: Huawei's wolf culture: Kill or be killed, part 2 Aug 06, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk with Elliot Zaagman, writer, executive coach, and corporate trainer, about the intense internal culture at Huawei. We even sneak in a surprise interview with an insider at the end.

This is the second of two parts.

54: Huawei's wolf culture: Kill or be killed, part 1 Jul 30, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk with Elliot Zaagman, writer, executive coach, and corporate trainer, about the intense internal culture at Huawei. We even sneak in a surprise interview with an insider at the end.

This is the first of two parts.

53: The China that can be understood is not the real China Jul 23, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk about how to understand China from a macro-level, including its role in the world, the different cultural values, and the difficulty in explicating a nuanced understanding of the Middle Kingdom.

52: The globalization of the Chinese traveler with Victor Tseng, CCO of Ctrip Jul 02, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk with Victor Tseng, Chief Communications Officer for Ctrip, about Chinese travelers, Ctrip's globalization strategy, and the challenges of going abroad.

51: The best of China Tech Talk's first year, part 2 Jun 17, 2018

This week, John and Matt take a look back at 1 year of podcasting and pull out the best part of the best episodes. This is part 2 of 2.

50: The best of China Tech Talk's first year, part 1 Jun 11, 2018

This week, John and Matt take a look back at 1 year of podcasting and pull out the best part of the best episodes. This is part 1 of 2.

Episode highlights include:

04: Interview with Florian Bohnert
10: Influencers in China & the future of brands with Elijah Whaley
15: Baidu ain't that bad with Kaiser Kuo
18: China's gaming & e-sports industry with Daniel Ahmad
19: China's $20 billion news app with Dannie Li
20: Alipay vs WeChat & why smile to pay matters

49: The Xiaomi IPO with The Information's Shai Oster May 28, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk with Shai Oster, Asia bureau chief for The Information, about Xiaomi's impending IPO, including why so many companies are choosing to go public this year, the advantages of listing in Hong Kong, and if their business model can stay viable.

48: Problems With Chinese & Western tech media with Wang Boyuan, of TechCrunch.cn May 20, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk with Wang Boyuan, editor of TechCrunch.cn, about media inside and outside China, some of the hazards as a reader, and some tips on where to get reliable information about the Middle Kingdom.

47: Shenzhen style innovation: IP protection, ZTE, and manufacturing standards with Benjamin Joffe of HAX May 13, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk with Benjamin Joffe, General Partner at HAX, about why Shenzhen is so strong with hardware, the fate of ZTE and the role of national security, and IP protection in China.

46: Internet business models disrupt China's coffee market: Luckin Coffee May 07, 2018

John and Matt discuss the power of examining first principles in an increasingly mobile-centric marketplace in the case of new coffee delivery startup Luckin (瑞亲) Coffee.

45: Tencent vs Alibaba - The battle for China’s offline retail with WSJ’s Liza Lin Apr 29, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk with Liza Lin, China technology reporter for the Wall Street Journal, about the increasing competition between Tencent and Alibaba in offline retail.

44: Short video and China’s hottest app Apr 24, 2018

John and Matt talk about Douyin, the breakout short video app of 2017, how it stacks up against Kuaishou (aka Kwai)—China's "low" humor video app, and some predictions for short video apps in 2018.

43: The e-commerce platform becoming a threat to Alibaba with Thomas Graziani Apr 16, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk with Thomas Graziani, founder and CEO of WalktheChat, a company that specializes in helping foreign organizations access the Chinese market through WeChat.

42: China's mobility and transport market gets all mixed up Apr 08, 2018

This week, John and Matt talk about recent developments in China's mobility and the O2O market as Meituan acquires Mobike and joins others encroaching into Didi territory.

41: New retail, new customer experiences with Stephane Monsallier Apr 02, 2018

We're back! Sorry for being gone so long. Hope you didn't miss us too much.

This week, John and Matt talk with Stephane Monsallier, founder of Shops of the Future, about new retail and Alibaba's strategy with Hema.

40: Unpacking China's "new retail" Mar 09, 2018

Matt and John try to understand the recent (and not so recent) moves by China's internet giants into offline retail.

39: PUBG and the future of Steam in China with Charlie Moseley Feb 26, 2018

Matt and John talk with Charlie Moseley, an American games developer based in Chengdu. We start the conversation about PlayerUnkown's Battlegrounds and then go into the future of Steam as well as PUBG's prospects in 2018.

[This was recorded on 01 Feb 2018]

38: Trends in early-stage Chinese startups with Edith Yeung Feb 18, 2018

Matt and John talk with Edith Yeung, managing partner at 500 Startups about blockchain, AI, and how China's startups fit into global trends.

Edith Yeung on WeChat: edithyeung

37: Weibo's KOL woes with Elijah Whaley Feb 11, 2018

Matt and John welcome Elijah Whaley, CMO of PARKLU, onto the show again. We catch up with what's he's been working on lately and then discuss some new heavy-handed rent-seeking from Weibo.

36: Don't forget about Weibo with Manya Koetse Feb 04, 2018

Matt and John talk with Manya Koetse, found and editor-in-chief of What's on Weibo, about how the role of Weibo in Chinese society and its continuing relevance in public discourse.

35: A change in WeChat is a change in Chinese society Jan 28, 2018

Matt and John talk about recent developments in WeChat, including new insights from WeChat Open Class, the role of mini programs and games, and "WeChat as a Platform" (WaaP).

34: Making, hacking, and hardware with Naomi Wu Jan 22, 2018

Matt and John talk with Naomi Wu, a well-known online personality known for her hardware and making projects.

Thanks a bunch to @Broadcastorm for the suggestion and making the intro!

33: Fintech IPOs and the future of money in China with Zennon Kapron Jan 08, 2018

Matt and John talk with Zennon Kapron, founder of Kapron Asia, about fintech in China, P2P lending, fintech IPOs, and money in China

32: China tech trends in 2017, part 2 Dec 30, 2017

This week, Matt and John discuss the top 5 trends (plus some honorable mentions) in China's tech for 2017 and make some predictions going into 2018. This is the second of two parts.

31: China tech trends in 2017, part 1 Dec 24, 2017

This week, Matt and John discuss the top 5 trends (plus some honorable mentions) in China's tech for 2017. This is the first of two parts.

30: Live from TechCrunch - Interview with BingoBox and Xiaomi Dec 03, 2017

This week, we hear from BingoBox and Xiaomi about their products, market strategy, and the future of their verticals

29: Tencent's $2 bln Western beachhead Nov 26, 2017

This week, Matt and John talk about what Tencent's $2 bln investment in Snap means for both companies (John also goes down a rabbit hole about Chinese consumer psychology).

28: Reinventing commercial real estate with Dominic Penaloza Nov 20, 2017

This week, Matt and John speak with Dominic Penaloza, CIO of naked Hub, about co-working in China as well as what naked Hub is doing to reinvent commercial real estate.

27: Can the iPhone X save Apple in China? Nov 12, 2017

After a lackluster response from China for the iPhone 7, and consecutive quarterly declines in market share, many have wondered if we are watching the beginning of the end for Apple in China.

This week, Matt and John revisit their discussion about Apple in China to look at how the country's consumers have responded to the iPhone X.

26: The Uber China Mafia with Chenyu Zheng Nov 05, 2017

Some call Uber's China foray a failure but looking at the DNA of the company, its values of radical ownership and operational focus have reshaped entrepreneurship in China.

This week, Matt and John talk about the lasting impact Uber has had on the entrepreneurs and their startups since they exited Chin

25: Mobike goes global with Florian Bohnert Oct 29, 2017

This week John and Matt follow up with Florian Bohnert, Head of Global Partnerships about what Mobike has been up to since we last talked, including:

How Mobike has expanded into global markets
The challenges of globalizing from China
Finding talent and educating users
Differences in recreational vs commute use in different countries
Whether Mobike will expand beyond bikes

24: The water we swim in Oct 22, 2017

The first reference episode for China Tech Talk delves into the broader conditions enabling China speed, including:

Economic growth and habituated pace of change
Generational differences in user habits
Super apps
Values that don't include net neutrality or the open web
The phone as life's control center

23: Group chat rules, VPNs, and the future of the internet in China Oct 15, 2017

John and Matt start with new group chat rules as well as VPNs and end up talking about deeper questions the economic implications of a truly tech-savvy Chinese government, specifically:

Rules affecting group chats in WeChat, QQ, and Baidu Tieba
The technical sophistication of China's internet control policy
How China's policy towards the internet helped create BAT
What a China with perfect information might look like

22: P2P lending, retail banking, and the future of online services with Ling Kong Oct 02, 2017

John and Matt talk with Ling Kong, CTO of Dianrong about:

How peer-to-peer (P2P) lending got started
What makes Dianrong different from their competitors (hint: there's a reason we're talking to the CTO)
How the government sees the P2P lending industry
Why and how China's credit habits are changing
What a private blockchain application could look like

21: China's ICO ban with Patrick Dai Sep 18, 2017

This week, John speaks with Patrick Dai, co-founder & chairman of Qtum foundation, about:

What ICOs are
Why companies want to do ICOs
How many ICOs are fraudulent
Why the Chinese government banned ICOs
How long the ban will last
How this will affect blockchain companies and applications

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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:

Why banks aren’t competing with each other but with other tech companies
Why Southeast Asia may be Amazon’s Waterloo
Why WeChat and WhatsApp have been so slow
Why Tencent and Alibaba may team up

Links

Analyse Asia
Sean Konieczny: Jack Ma is set to disrupt e-commerce... again
Emma Lee: These Ex-Baidu employees are connecting SEA merchants with mobile payment tools
How to leave an iTunes review

Hosts

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

12: China from Asia and China in Asia with Jon Russell Jul 15, 2017

This week John and Matt talk with Jon Russell, TechCrunch's man in Asia about covering China from the outside. We cover topics including:

Biggest challenges in covering China from outside the country
Explaining China to people who aren't familiar with the market
Challenges for bike sharing outside China
Chinese brands in Thailand
How China's biggest companies are differentiating outside their home country

Links

Hosts

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

11: Bringing your apps to China with Shlomo Freund and Michael Michelini Jun 30, 2017

This week John and Matt talk with Shlomo Freund and Michael Michelini, hosts of the China Business Cast, about bringing your app to China, including:

Why games are difficult to bring to China
How app markets monetize
Why there is no paid app category in China's app stores
How to tell if your app will be successful

Links

Hosts

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

10: Influencers in China and the future of brands with Elijah Whaley Jun 23, 2017

John and Matthew talk with Elijah Whaley, Chief Marketing Officer for ParkLU, about:

Why big ad agencies are failing to keep up
How content is being democratized
Why Taobao is dominating live streaming
How influencers are building the brands of the future
Why it's better not to focus on viral content (hint: being a successful influencer isn't easy)

Links

John Artman: Rules for Weibo KOLs shed light on Alibaba-Tencent tensions
Eva Yoo: Lessons from failed influencer campaigns in China
Eva Yoo: 3 ways Chinaccelerator Batch 11 startups monetize with KOL marketing
How to leave an iTunes review

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

09: Astroturfing, tipping, and how to become a live stream celebrity in China with Lauren Hallanan Jun 16, 2017

John and Matthew talk with Lauren Hallanan, an internet celebrity in China about:

Differences in live streaming platforms
Gifting as a business model
How to make a live stream interesting
Agency practices (hint: it’s not always ethical)
Transition from streamer to KOL

Links

Lauren Hallanan: China Live
Emma Lee: Momo sees record revenue growth thanks to live streaming
Charles Custer: Fei Cheng Wu Rao: China's Hottest Dating Show
Tracey Xiang: Report: China's live streaming market grew 180% in 2016
How to leave an iTunes review

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 08: How Chinese internet celebrities are taking over e-commerce with Dannie Li Jun 08, 2017

John and Matthew talk with Dannie Li, an analyst at China Tech Insights, about China's internet celebrities, including:

Differences between wanghong (网红) and KOLs/influencers
A brief history of the wanghong industry
Why they've become so popular (hint: Taobao ain't that easy)

Links

Hosts

Podcast information

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 07: WeChat's pivot in-progress Jun 02, 2017

John and Matthew talk about the future of Tencent and WeChat, including:

What a WeChat hardware device might be
Possible AR features and products
The role of mini-programs in the WeChat ecosystem
WeChat team learning how to make partnerships with big brands

Links

John Artman: WeChat feature shows Starbucks is no longer an international brand
Tracey Xiang: WeChat introduces gold hongbao to promote new financial product
Juro Osawa: WeChat Deal With Starbucks Points to Cultural Shift at Tencent (paywall)
Sheila Yu: On "I love you" day, WeChat continues to dominate hongbao
Matthew Brennan: Mobike White Paper Report Released
How to leave an iTunes review

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 06: Smartphones in China - Apple's growing weakness May 26, 2017

John and Matthew talk about Apple's challenges in China, including:

A brief history of the iPhone in China
A look at some strong competitors and their ability to appeal to Chinese customers
Apple's non-existent services ecosystem
Tensions between Apple and Tencent (hint: half of Apple's China app store revenue comes from Tencent's games)

Links

Emma Lee: One year on, Apple Pay finding little traction in the Middle Kingdom
Kayla Matthews:Why Apple is coming under fire for its Chinese app offerings
Matthew Brennan: WeChat is building an augment reality app store
Steven Millward: It's looking really grim for Apple in China
App Annie: Market Forecast 2016-2021
How to leave an iTunes review

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 05: From the Valley to China, Shifting Gears with Steve Hoffman May 19, 2017

John and Matthew talk with Steve Hoffman, Founder and Captain of Founders Space. Steve has tons of experience in the Valley and has been spending more and more time in China. We talk about a variety of things, including:

How does Chinese government policy give Chinese startups an advantage?
Why are business people so popular in China?
How is innovation different in China compared to the Valley?
Why is WeChat so much better than every other social network?

Links

Steve Hoffman: Making Elephants Fly: The Process of Radical Innovation
Yuval Noah Harari: Homo Deus: A brief history of tomorrow
Emma Lee: Tencent reports 58% profit surge on strong Q1 driven by WeChat and gaming

Matthew Brennan: 2017 WeChat User Report Is Out!
Eva Xiao: WeChat just launched a search engine. Baidu should worry.
How to leave an iTunes review

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

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RSS feed
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 04: Exclusive interview with Florian Bohnert, Mobike's Head of International Expansion May 12, 2017

This week we switch up the format a bit to do our very first interview! Continuing our discussion of bike sharing, we invited Florian Bohnert, Head of International Expansion at Mobike, to talk about Mobike, bike sharing, and their plans inside and outside China. Questions

How did you come to China/start working at Mobike?
How do you keep up with everything and stay sane at the same time?
How does Mobike view its own brand?
Why isn't Mobike a bike share company?
How is Mobike like Tesla?
How do you explain the early traction of Mobike and bike sharing?
How many millions of bikes is Foxconn building for Mobike?
Why do you think the sector has gotten so hot? What do investors expect?
What are your expansion plans inside and outside China?
How does Mobike see mini-programs? Strategic or just another entry point?

Links

Sheila Yu: Mobike announces "Magic Cube," an AI made from its mountains of user data
Sheila Yu:Mobike bike-rental feature added to Wechat Wallet
Emma Lee: Mobike joins ofo in Singapore with official launch
Matthew Brennan: Mobike & Ofo: Bike Sharing Industry Report (Nov 2016)
Matthew Brennan: China Bike Sharing Report: March 2017

Guest

Florian Bohnert, LinkedIn

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 03: Bike sharing business models - Mobike and ofo May 05, 2017

John and Matthew go deeper on bike sharing and respond to some listener feedback. Questions they answer:

How many bikes are on the streets?
How many users do Mobike and ofo have?
How much are these two companies worth?
How do they generate revenue?
What are some potential monetization strategies?
How do Mobike and ofo fit in with Tencent and Alibaba's broader strategy?
How has the government responded? What will future regulation look like?

Links

TechNode's coverage of bike sharing
Sheila Yu: Mobike announces "Magic Cube," an AI made from its mountains of user data
John Artman: Mobike jumps on hongbao bandwagon with “Mobike, mo’ money”
Matthew Brennan: Mobike & Ofo: Bike Sharing Industry Report (Nov 2016)
Matthew Brennan: China Bike Sharing Report: March 2017
ReportLinker: China Bicycle Sharing Industry Report, 2017-2021
iResearch: 2017年中国共享单车行业研究报告

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

iTunes
RSS feed
Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production

Episode 02: Mini-programs - WeChat's killer feature Apr 28, 2017

John and Matthew talk about WeChat's mini-programs. Introduced earlier this year, the full potential of mini-programs were not apparent at launch, leading some to speculate that they would never be useful. Matt is pretty bullish while John has a wait-and-see attitude. Questions they answer:

What are mini-programs?
Are these mini-apps or mini-programs?
How are they different from apps? How are they different from WeChat official accounts?
What are the advantages to users of using mini-programs? What are the advantages to businesses of using mini-programs?
What are the drawbacks of using mini-programs?
How do users find mini-programs?

Links

TechNode: Panel: WeChat mini-apps have promise, but fail to deliver
John Artman: Data from Cheetah Global Lab reinforces that WeChat IS the Chinese internet
China Tech Insights: WeChat User & Business Ecosystem Report 2017 | Exclusive
Matthew Brennan: Wechat Podcast Mini Programs
Matthew Brennan: List of 100 WeChat Mini Programs
Matthew Brennan: WeChat launches new style QR codes For Mini Programs
Matthew Brennan: How To Use WeChat Mini Programs

Hosts

John Artman, @knowsnothing, TechNode
Matthew Brennan, @MattyBGoooner, ChinaChannel

Podcast information

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Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3

China Tech Talk is a TechNode x ChinaChannel co-production.

Episode 1: An introduction to China's bike sharing Apr 21, 2017

John and Matthew talk about bike sharing. Since the middle of 2016, China's streets have explosions of yellow, orange, blue, and green as the bike sharing wars take off. Who are the big players? Why is it taking off in China? Will the Chinese government intervene like they have with ride-hailing?

Links