China Tech Talk
91 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 43 ratingsChina Tech Talk is a weekly podcast about what's happening on the ground in China's tech and startup ecosystems.
It is hosted by John Artman, Editor-in-Chief of TechNode English, and Matthew Brennan, founder of ChinaChannel
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Episodes
89: Just how much tech is in China's health code?
May 29, 2020 03:44 - 32 minutes - 30.3 MBAs 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 c...
88: Coronavirus & China tech: Winners and losers
February 10, 2020 10:07 - 37 minutes - 35.1 MBThe 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...
87: China tech through the lens of Bytedance
December 12, 2019 08:30 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBThis 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...
86: China's social credit system: Everything you know is wrong with Kendra Schaefer
October 31, 2019 03:07 - 1 hour - 56.9 MBChina'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...
85: Private traffic in China — Taking back the power from platforms
October 21, 2019 04:24 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBAfter 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 t...
84: Facebook's Libra and China's Central Bank with Zennon Kapron
September 02, 2019 02:02 - 52 minutes - 48.7 MBJust 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 Wh...
83: Podcasting and why the open web is dead in China with Rio Zhan
August 11, 2019 22:00 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBAt 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 t...
82: Tech conferences in China
July 30, 2019 05:12 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBIn 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 goin...
81: The new new retail with Michael Norris
July 17, 2019 07:45 - 54 minutes - 49.5 MBIn 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 re...
80: Libra lessons from WeChat and QQ
July 03, 2019 07:12 - 56 minutes - 51.3 MBOn 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 s...
79: Facial recognition, AI, and privacy in China with Zen Soo
June 03, 2019 03:34 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBFacial 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 ...
78: Hot take—Huawei after Google
May 21, 2019 15:24 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBLast 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 an...
77: Peer-to-peer lending in China—Tech-driven shadow banking with Andrew Polk
May 07, 2019 06:17 - 52 minutes - 47.6 MBChina’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 an...
76: US vs China—AI asymmetries with Jeffrey Ding
April 16, 2019 04:53 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBWith 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 asymmet...
75: Pinduoduo's free cash flow problem with James Hull
April 09, 2019 07:20 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBFree 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 fin...
74: Bitmain, Bitcoin Cash, and the future of crypto with Nishant Sharma
March 18, 2019 02:58 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBOne 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 ...
73: Mobility's maturation and misery: One ofo doesn't ruin everything
March 03, 2019 21:00 - 53 minutes - 48.6 MBAll 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 i...
72: Gaming regulation rectification with Daniel Ahmad
February 25, 2019 10:26 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBEarly 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 ...
71: The Chinese takeover of the Indian app ecosystem with Shadma Shaikh
January 28, 2019 02:37 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBWhile 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
January 16, 2019 11:06 - 56 minutes - 51.8 MBThis 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 Byteda...
69: Restrictions and restructurings — 2018 in review, part 2
January 01, 2019 21:00 - 1 hour - 58.8 MBThis 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
December 22, 2018 22:00 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBThis 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
December 16, 2018 22:00 - 1 hour - 64.9 MBThis 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 Sub...
66: The next Facebook will be Chinese
December 09, 2018 12:03 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBBytedance, 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
December 07, 2018 09:49 - 1 hour - 70.9 MBChina 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
December 05, 2018 03:22 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBTed 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
November 27, 2018 21:00 - 53 minutes - 49 MBAlvin 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
November 08, 2018 02:42 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBWang 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
October 24, 2018 04:33 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBKai-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
October 17, 2018 14:04 - 53 minutes - 48.8 MBAhead 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
October 11, 2018 09:31 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBThis 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
September 25, 2018 21:00 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MBThis 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?
September 12, 2018 01:56 - 56 minutes - 51.8 MBThis 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
August 22, 2018 03:42 - 1 hour - 62.4 MBThis 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
August 13, 2018 13:37 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBThis 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
August 06, 2018 05:30 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBThis 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
July 30, 2018 14:15 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBThis 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
July 23, 2018 02:50 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBThis 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
July 02, 2018 00:19 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBThis 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
June 17, 2018 21:00 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBThis 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
June 11, 2018 02:17 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MBThis 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 14:42 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBThis 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 23:01 - 53 minutes - 49.4 MBThis 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 21:00 - 54 minutes - 49.9 MBThis 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 02:34 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBJohn 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
April 29, 2018 03:30 - 1 hour - 58.9 MBThis 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
April 24, 2018 11:43 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBJohn 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
April 16, 2018 02:20 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBThis 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
April 08, 2018 21:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBThis 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
April 02, 2018 13:51 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MBWe'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.