We need your help to create Season 2 of Digitally China!Just got a few short questions for you here: https://radiichina.com/digitally-china-2019-wrap/As many of our loyal listeners might have felt, Digitally China has been taking a short break. But don’t worry, we’ll be coming back with Season 2 in no time.Throughout the 26 episodes of Season 1 we’ve really appreciated all the support and feedback from our fantastic listeners who have tuned in to the bi-weekly series. Thanks to this feedback, Season 2 of Digitally China will see a few changes. We will fine-tune the format a bit and use each episode to deep-dive even more into the exciting Chinese tech ecosystem.If you’ve listened to the “The War of a Thousand Groupons” or “From 8 to 800 Million Internet Users,” these episodes give you an idea of the direction we want to take for the new Season 2 — but we still want to hear your thoughts and ideas on what topics to cover and how we can do better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Digitally China is about Brian Wong, his experiences from being part of the early days of Alibaba but at the same time also a story about how it was to first-hand be part of how China grew from almost nothing to the largest internet market in the world.  The location is a hotel in San Francisco, the year is 1999. The internet hype is in its peak. United States at this moment have over 100 million internet users, 10 times more than the much larger country in the East, China. While his friends are leaving school to join the company that seems to be the next big thing, Google, Brian is instead meeting a fairly unknown entrepreneur at that time with the first name Jack who enthusiastically is talking about his company, Alibaba. As many of his friends on the west coast of the US, he believes that technology will change the world. But instead of staying in his hometown and the Middle Kingdom of innovation, Palo Alto, he moves to Hangzhou to work with e-commerce in country that barely have internet users. In this episode we’re listening in on Brian’s story, reflecting on the learnings from the growth of the Chinese technology sector, what we can learn from it and how it will impact the rest of the world.Guests:· Brian Wong, VP at AlibabaHosts: Tom Xiong & Eva XiaoProducer: Jacob Lovén & Katarina AnderssonDigitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China is powered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest Digitally China we’re looking back on history. Meituan-Dianping is China’s clear market leader within group buying, offline discovery and online-offline services today. But it wasn’t that clear a few years back. In fact, the opposite was true, with the American giant Groupon entering China backed by a powerful partner in Tencent. In a hyper-competitive environment, there were suddenly thousands of group-buying services all fighting for the position that Meituan has today.For a sense of what that time was like, we interviewed Tim He, who was a senior executive of Gaopeng, the Chinese subsidiary of Groupon when they entered the market. Tim, who took a break from Harvard to go back to China to take on the daunting task of trying to win in such an enormous, sprawling market, takes us through some of the incredible stories from that exciting period.As a seasoned investor at one of Europe’s most renowned venture firms, Kinnevik, Tim also reflects on learnings from the Chinese technology sector as well as the success factors behind today's “super apps” of China.Topics covered in this episodeHow Groupon entered the Chinese marketThe group-buying industryHow to operate in a market with thousands of competitorsWhat lessons can you learn from China that are applicable for Western markets?The success factors behind super app companies such as Meituan-Dianping, Alipay and moreGuests:· Tim He, investor at Kinnevik and previous senior executive of Gaopeng, the Chinese Groupon.Host: Tom XiongProducer: Jacob Lovén & Katarina AnderssonDigitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China is powered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The business of selling clicks and fake accounts is the scourge of social media today, where anyone from wannabe influencers to political saboteurs can purchase likes, followers, and even comments.In China, the issue is so severe that nearly a third of the country’s internet traffic last year was rated “abnormal”, according to third-party advertising data monitor Miaozhen Systems.And though Chinese social media platforms from WeChat to Weibo to RED have repeatedly cracked down on fake and bot accounts, the shady business behind the “like” economy is alive and well.In this episode of Digitally China, we’ll explore the factors that drive the creation and selling of fake engagement metrics in China, the impact, and the process and cost of actually buying them.Episode outline:Reasons motivating people to purchase fake engagementHow to buy followers and price comparison between platformsWhy platforms can’t get rid of the fake engagement businessImpact of fake metrics on brands and the saturation of Chinese social media platforms Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of Digitally China, Tom is joined by Jill Tang, co-founder of Ladies Who Tech, an influential Chinese organization focusing on entrepreneurship and gender diversity in China. As someone who works in the unique cross-section of tech, diversity, multinational companies, and market-entry in China, Jill shares her observations and thoughts on how multinational companies can be more gender inclusive in China, and how China's younger and more international workforce is changing work culture in the country.Topics covered in this episode:- Ladies Who Tech & gender diversity at companies in China- Entrepreneurship, different types of entrepreneurs and startups- What multinational companies in China do well and can be better at- Market-entry for foreign brands to the complex Chinese marketGuests:· Jill Tang, co-founder Ladies Who TechHost: Tom XiongProducer: Jacob LovénDigitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China is powered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Companies around the world are latching onto social commerce, but in China, where mobile payments are ubiquitous and consumers are extra wary of fake goods, the integration between social media and online shopping has been especially fast. That doesn’t mean it’s a silver bullet for brands though -- or even the multi-billion dollar internet celebrity industry, where influencers are tasked with advertising products without appearing too commercial.In this episode of Digitally China, we’ll discuss Xiaohongshu or RED, which is often compared to Instagram and Pinterest. The fast-growing app, which is popular among young, female urbanites in China, has over 85 million monthly active users and is valued at $3 billion following a $300 million funding round last year led by e-commerce heavyweight Alibaba.But the e-commerce side of RED is still behind more price-conscious competitors like Pinduoduo — and the app hit its latest roadblock earlier this week, when it was pulled from Chinese app stores.We’ll cover some of the challenges the app is facing as it tries to grow its e-commerce business – monetizing its vibrant user community -- and manage the thousands of influencers on its platform.  Episode summary:· Xiaohongshu backstory and introduction· Xiaohongshu vs. competitors· Xiaohongshu’s content quality problem· Success cases of brands working with influencers· Cosmetics: an industry where Chinese brands have really optimized social media and ecommerceGuests:· Elijah Whaley, chief marketing officer at Parklu, an influencer marketing tech firm in China· Huo Qiu, a fashion and cosmetics influencer with over 1 million followers on Weibo and about 30,000 followers on XiaohongshuHosts: Eva Xiao and Tom XiongProducer: Jacob LovénDigitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China is powered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In China’s fast-growing tech industry, it’s easy to focus on exciting new products and businesses while overlooking one of the most important elements of any company: the talent.Inthis episode, we look at how the recruiting process at Chinese tech firms does -- and doesn’t -- differ from that of multinational firms, and how China's new wave of tech professionals view their career options.EpisodeOutline:Incentives/disincentives for working at multinational firms vs. Chinese internet companiesThe importance of 996 or working overtimeProbation and the concept of “hire fast, fire fast”Unstructured vs. standardized hiring practicesChina’s gender discrimination problemGuests:Vincent Wang, a senior associate at executive recruiting firm Atkins & AssociatesBen Jiang, who runs the India bureau of Krasia, an Asia-focused tech media platform A Zhen, a product manager and team leader for front-end development at a Shanghai-based internet companyHosts: Eva Xiao and Tom XiongProducer: Jacob LovénDigitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China is powered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Corporate offerings such as secondary listings and IPO’s from Chinese tech companies are accelerating. This year alone we have seen 161 such events, which is already 72% of entire last year. Why do Chinese tech companies turn to public markets to raise capital? Why are the Hong Kong stock exchange increasingly popular? And how does the domestic Chinese stock market fit in all this for tech companies? In the latest episode of Digitally China we are interviewing the co-host of China Tech Investor podcast James Hull to get an understanding of the latest trends and what all of this means for Chinese technology companies. Topics covered during this episode:The rush to IPO from tech companies around the worldDifferences between Hong Kong and US public marketsThe future of domestic public listings in China Hosts: Eva Xiao and Tom XiongGuest: James Hull, founder of HullX and co-host of China Tech Investor podcastProducer: Jacob LovénDigitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China is powered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(The previous publication was not the full version due to a technical bug. This is an upload of the full episode - sorry for that!)Chinese telecoms giant Huawei is one of China’s largest success stories in tech.No other domestic tech firm has been able to grow its business overseas around the world and beat the competition the way the Shenzhen-based company has, despite keeping a relatively low profile.But over the past six months, Huawei has found itself increasingly in the limelight and under public scrutiny. After the arrest of one of its top executives in December and an escalating trade war, the Chinese telecoms company has become a symbol for both China’s technological rise and ambition -- and the threat that poses to Western countries like the US.To take a closer look at the company -- at a more human-scale -- we decided to dive into the people and unique ‘wolf’ culture of Huawei, from its dark history of employee suicides to inspiring “war” stories, where company staff brave earthquakes and civil war to serve clients.So what makes the company tick? How does it produce both die-hard loyalists and Huawei-haters? In this episode, we explore the following topics:Huawei’s management system and how it worksFounder Ren Zhengfei’s influence on HuaweiMilitaristic Huawei slogans and sayingsCompany training and “boot camp”The trade-offs of a “wolf” cultureHost: Tom Xiong and Eva XiaoProducer: Jacob LovénGuest: Shen Rui, an ex-Huawei employee who worked there 2011-2015 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei is one of China’s largest success stories in tech.No other domestic tech firm has been able to grow its business overseas around the world and beat the competition the way the Shenzhen-based company has, despite keeping a relatively low profile.But over the past six months, Huawei has found itself increasingly in the limelight and under public scrutiny. After the arrest of one of its top executives in December and an escalating trade war, the Chinese telecoms company has become a symbol for both China’s technological rise and ambition -- and the threat that poses to Western countries like the US.To take a closer look at the company -- at a more human-scale -- we decided to dive into the people and unique ‘wolf’ culture of Huawei, from its dark history of employee suicides to inspiring “war” stories, where company staff brave earthquakes and civil war to serve clients.So what makes the company tick? How does it produce both die-hard loyalists and Huawei-haters? In this episode, we explore the following topics:Huawei’s management system and how it worksFounder Ren Zhengfei’s influence on HuaweiMilitaristic Huawei slogans and sayingsCompany training and “boot camp”The trade-offs of a “wolf” cultureHost: Tom Xiong and Eva XiaoProducer: Jacob LovénGuest: Shen Rui, an ex-Huawei employee who worked there 2011-2015Digitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China is powered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Together with Jonas Leijonhufvud and Sven Carlsson, the authors of a new book telling the inside story about Spotify and the fight for global dominance in music streaming we are discussing if ByteDance actually have a shot at beating the giants.ByteDance, the company behind the huge International success TikTok, or Douyin as its called in China is really on the offense. Fueled by the position as the 3rd most downloaded app in the world 2018 and a valuation of 75 billion dollars, ByteDance have recently both announced plans to enter messaging to directly compete with Tencent and Facebook as well as launching a smartphone. And now, reported first by Bloomberg ByteDance seem to have far advanced plans on getting into music streaming to compete with Spotify, Tencent Music and Apple Music. Already positioned among hundreds of millions of teens around the world with a short video and music app - this actually doesn’t seem that crazy. In this episode of Digitally China we are discussing:TikTok’s current position on the marketThe challenges of monetizing through music streaming, learnt from Spotify and Apple MusicHow music streaming companies work with record labels and how that would impact TikTok’s ambitionsThe validity of TikTok’s presumed music streaming service and how their position among teenagers around the world could support that Host: Tom XiongProducer: Jacob LovénGuests: Jonas Leijonhufvud and Sven Carlsson, reporters at Dagens Industri and authors of the book Spotify UntoldDigitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China is powered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gaming is one of the most profitable industries in China’s tech sector. It’s the cash cow powering the rise of Tencent, the multi-billion dollar firm behind WeChat. It's also an industry with some of the most notorious examples of copying, but also the most stringent rules -- which Chinese game developers and gamers tirelessly find creative workarounds for.China is the largest gaming market in the world by revenue, raking in almost $40 billion last year, despite a 9-month licensing freeze that prevented game developers from monetizing new games. But as the Chinese government rolls out more rules to increase controls on an already tightly regulated market -- banning blood, mahjong games, and more -- what will happen to China's vibrant gaming community, and how will tighter content restrictions impact the country's game developers?Topics covered in this episode:Publication numbers and censorshipCopycat products and Chinese game qualityCreative freedom and the future of gaming in ChinaGuests:Haohai and Li Motian, two hardcore gamers based in ChinaDaniel Ahmad, senior analyst at market research and consultancy firm Niko PartnersWang Miaoyi, a Beijing-based independent game developerHosts: Eva Xiao & Tom XiongProducer: Jacob LovenMusic rights: Licensed by Epidemic Sound Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode of Digitally China Tom is joined by Emmy Teo, co-founder of the New Retail startup FUSE and advisor to up & coming consumer brands in fashion and furniture.Chinese companies have for a long time had access to the best supply chain in the world, enabling scalable production of a wide range of products. But only in the recent years we have seen that unique skillset being combined with what western companies usually see as their differentiator: the ability to create attractive brands, especially in the lifestyle sector. In this Digitally China episode we are discussing domestic brands, how much they have progressed and the possibility of them overtaking established brands such as Zara or IKEA.Topics covered in this episode:Up & coming Chinese fashion and furniture brandsThe future of lifestyle segmentThe current and future differences between modern domestic brands and western equivalentsHost: Tom XiongGuests: Emmy TeoProducer: Jacob LovénDigitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China is powered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the recent news of Amazon exiting China with their e-commerce business combined with the departure of Uber a few years ago, many observers' have questioned if a foreign tech company can be successful in China.But then we heard about OYO, an Indian startup having recent success in China hosting thousands of rooms in what is in theory a very hard market to penetrate.In this episode we are discussing OYO with reporter Huizhong Wu, trying to understand why they can be successful in China while so many western brands fail.Topics covered in this episode of Digitally China:- What is OYO?- What's the difference between an Indian startup and a Western?- What are the usual challenges of foreign brands entering China?Hosts: Eva Xiao and Tom XiongGuests: Huizhong WuProducer: Jacob LovénDigitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China is powered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recently a leaked e-mail from JD.com have been widely spread, being probably the most concrete example of the 996 culture from certain tech companies in China. Among many things, the leaked e-mail indicates that people working less overtime should be fired. In this episode of Digitally China we are trying to figure out how widely spread 996 is, how it impacts people and what effect the recent backlash in this hotly debated topic will have. To understand the culture of working overtime in tech and how it is different from other industries, we interviewed contributors of the recently famous 996.ICU project on GitHub, Xu Ming and Xiao Yang. Topics covered in this episode of Digitally China:The background of 996How 996 in tech is different compared to other industriesHow widely spread 996 isThe recent criticism against on 996, going viral on GitHubHow the Chinese tech industry might change going forward Hosts: Eva Xiao and Tom XiongGuests: Xu Ming and Xiao YangProducer: Jacob LovénDigitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China is powered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the past five years, China’s internet industry has seen dizzying growth, with each year hitting record-levels of funding. In the second quarter of 2018, Chinese startups raised more venture capital than startups in North America for the first time. But at the end of last year, the industry started winding down -- fast. Rumors started about mass layoffs at different tech firms, from ecommerce giant JD to Quora-like Zhihu. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs braced themselves for a “capital winter.”So is China’s startup scene finally facing the music after years of cash-burning growth? Is this just a market correction or a sign of worse things to come?In this episode, we will cover:Stories from the good old days of China’s startup industry Factors contributing to the slowdownThe impact on China's tech industry and human cost of market correctionGuests: Gu Xi, marketing partner at Higgz, a Beijing-based AI education startup focusing primarily on improving high school students’ learning capabilities.Chauncey Jung, a freelance writer based in Canada who focuses on technology, politics, and current affairs in China. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This latest episode of Digitally China has a special format, partly recorded live from D-Congress, one of the largest e-commerce conferences in Europe where co-host Tom Xiong and producer Jacob Lovén moderated panels with Chinese e-commerce experts. In this episode we’ll listen to excerpts from Shenyi Wu (former CFO of Pinduoduo and RED) and Julie Chen (former Sequoia Capital China) that have founded the new western-focused e-commerce platform Flamingo.shop. Together with them we discuss how the Chinese e-commerce market have become the global leader, what the secret sauce behind social e-commerce is and how this has a potential to disrupt Amazon. We also get to listen to Tingting Fang, Brand Director of JudyDoll which is one of the fastest growing cosmetics brands in China. Just founded 18 months ago, they have already surpassed established companies such as L’Oreal by utilizing social e-commerce and the new ways to both engage and sell products online. Topics this episode covers:What is Social E-commerce?Why was Pinduoduo able to grab market-share from much larger players such as Alibaba?Guests: Shenyi Wu, Julie Chen and Tingting Fang.Hosts: Jacob Lovén and Tom Xiong.Production: Jacob Loven.Digitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China ispowered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a country where WeChat rules supreme, Bytedance is attempting the impossible. Last month,the Beijing-based startup launched its own social networking app called Duoshan.It wouldn’t be the first time Bytedance has made larger, more established tech companies nervous. It runs TikTok, a video-sharing app that has quickly grown popular worldwide -- a rare feat for a Chinese tech firm -- inspiring Facebook to launch its own competing app called Lasso.The startup has also already started butting heads with Tencent. Last year, the heads of both companies became embroiled in a public spat on WeChat, where the Bytedance CEO accused Tencent of copying Douyin -- the Chinese version of TikTok -- and blocking it in WeChat to slow its growth. A few months later in a separate case, Tencent sued the startup for 1 RMB ($0.15) for defamation.As large tech firms solidify their monopolies around the world -- Google dominates search, Tencent owns social -- it is becoming increasingly difficult for newcomers to challenge tech giants on their own turf. So will Duoshan be successful? And is Bytedance the company that can finally break Tencent’s hold on social?In this episode, we’ll discuss:The promising features of Duoshan -- and their disadvantagesChina’s younger generation and the appeal of disappearing videos or “stories”Bytedance’s AI edgeBytedance’s success with TikTok and foray into gaming, another important business for TencentGuest: Ashley Dudarenok, founder of Alarice International, a Hong Kong-based digital marketing agency that focuses on Chinese social media.Hosts: Eva Xiao and Tom XiongProduction: Jacob LovenDigitally China is a subjective but independent depiction of the tech scene in China. Audio clips used in the podcast have not been distorted nor taken out of context and are included for commentary and educational purposes and thus shall be considered “Fair Use”. Digitally China ispowered by RADII (www.radiichina.com), an independent media platform exploring China from all angles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With DJI's recent 150 million USD embezzlement scandal we are investigating what happens when Chinese tech companies grow too fast. What compromises are made to enable a fast growth that also increases the risk of embezzlement and internal fraud?Together with our external guest Alex with in-depth experience from both Accenture and large Chinese e-commerce companies we are discovering:- How embezzlement and internal fraud are being done in Chinese tech companies?- Is there any difference between China and the US?- How will this impact the fast-growing Chinese tech sector.- Will this issue be fixed, or is it even necessary?- The misconception of publicly listed companies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Haigui or “sea turtles” are a special part of China’s far-flung diaspora. A term that describes Chinese nationals who study or work overseas before returning to the motherland, sea turtles have become huge contributors to China’s fast-growing tech industry, from top tech executives to VCs.But how do overseas Chinese view the pros and cons of staying or returning to China? And what motivates haigui, especially those in high-tech industries, to come back?In this episode, we talk to a few sea turtles and US-based Chinese AI engineers to understand their experience and perspective of China vs. US tech industry, and what it says about China’s race to become a global tech leader.Some topics that will be covered in this episode:China’s 996 work cultureThe bamboo ceilingCompensation at US vs Chinese tech firmsThe breakdown of barriers between Chinese and US techGuests:Mike Lei, CTO of Mobvoi, a Beijing-based artificial intelligence company, whose investors include Google, Sequoia Capital, and ZhenFund.Ji Zhanglong, a Silicon Valley-based machine learning engineer at Facebook.Andy Liu, founder of Futureform, a Beijing-based design agency that specializes in product and UX design for AI related products. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.