Why Silicon Valley is Afraid of China. An Interview with Zhaopin CEO Evan Guo (Video).

Zhaopin.com CEO Evan Guo has a fascinating view of China’s evolving internet ecosystem. He heads the leading online recruiting business in China (+140M active users). So he is riding the top of a very big wave. But Zhaopin is not part of Baidu, Alibaba, or Tencent. It is living in the spaces between these digital […]

What Everyone Is Getting Wrong About Artificial Intelligence In China. An Interview with Chris Thomas of McKinsey & Co. (Video)

Christopher Thomas is arguably the artificial intelligence guru of Asia. He leads McKinsey’s Semiconductors Practice in Asia and is also their global head for digital strategy. And prior to McKinsey, he was the general manager for Intel China. You will basically not find a smarter person out there on this subject. Plus, he’s a really good […]

How Alibaba’s New Retail Disrupts JD’s World: Conclusion (Pt 4 of 4)

In this four part series, I look at how “new retail” impacts the strategies of e-commerce market leaders Alibaba and JD. My take is basically five points: Point 1: China is ground zero for the digital transformation of retail. Explained in Part 1 here. Point 2: But “new retail” is not just supermarkets and convenience […]

What Everyone Is Getting Wrong About Chinese Entertainment. An Interview with Alex Zhang, Ex-Alibaba Pictures. (Video)

Alex Zhang was one of the first five employees at Alibaba Pictures (launched in 2015), He sits at the intersection of rapidly rising Chinese entertainment, its changing relationship with Hollywood and its increasing collision with the tech world (Alibaba, Tencent, etc.). Note: I wrote about how Alibaba is disrupting entertainment here. Alex has recently left Alibaba […]

与阿里巴巴共度周末的趣闻趣事(共2部分,第2部分)

2017年的“双十一”,我来到阿里巴巴,与管理层们共度周末。本篇为此行见闻的第二部分。第一部分里,我谈到了初到阿里巴巴的见闻,以及周五晚上的庆典。本篇仅为随笔,如果您期待某些严肃的内容,恐怕本篇不大适合您。

中国不存在新“共享经济” 滴滴、摩拜等皆是典型的颠覆者 (第一部分)

中国的新兴“共享经济”在上个月成为了媒体的热门话题。《纽约时报》、《财富》、彭博以及《南华早报》纷纷在其文章中提到了网约车(滴滴)、单车租用(ofo、摩拜)和新型的小物品租赁服务(包括共享单车、篮球和雨伞),并称之为中国新“共享经济”的一部分。

与沃伦•巴菲特共进午餐,我学到的5点人生启示

我曾与20名北京大学的学生一起受到沃伦•巴菲特的接见,关于此事,我已经写了很多篇文章。这次在奥马哈的会面中,巴菲特的言论深深地触动了我。它们始终萦绕在我的脑海中,促使我反思自己的生活方式。在这篇文章中,我将详细讲述这5点“人生启示”。

The Negotiation of Alwaleed’s Life: Predictions from an Ex-Employee (Pt 2 of 2)

Bottom line: Alwaleed’s forty years of success as a master deal-maker and negotiator have come to a climax as he now negotiates for his empire and his freedom. For 8-9 years, I worked for Prince Alwaleed in Riyadh. In Part 1, I outlined Alwaleed’s history as an investor and deal-maker. It is my explanation for […]

The Negotiation of Alwaleed’s Life: Predictions from an Ex-Employee (Pt 1 of 2)

Bottom line: Alwaleed’s forty years of success as a master deal-maker and negotiator have come to a head as he now negotiates for his empire and his freedom. For 8-9 years, I worked for Prince Alwaleed in Riyadh, working on everything from his IPO and his hospital to his university (never built) and his one […]