Greetings from Peking University,
I am back in Beijing after China’s big holiday week. I generally try to avoid the tourist craziness that happens every year at this time.
In terms of digital China, the giants just keep accelerating and surprising everyone. Lots of interesting things happening in mobility (Didi) and new retail (JD) right now. And “local services” seems to be where all the giants are colliding. I talk about this in an article below. Overall, a fascinating month.
Below are my recommended China articles and books for October 2018. I hope these are helpful.
Cheers, Jeff
—- Good Recent Articles —-
Everything you Need to Know About Daniel Zhang, Alibaba’s New King
This is a good Wired summary of the guy taking over for Jack Ma.
The Modular Kingdom: Why the developer of a new type of vehicle believes China is the future
Mobility is the next big thing coming in China. The new disruption.
Once you win in China, SE Asia is usually the next target. Lots of interesting digital Giants there.
These Data Take the Pulse of Chinese Consumers Amid Trade Fears
Some good Bloomberg data about Chinese consumer sentiment right now.
Why internet users chose Baidu over Google when it was in China
A good history by Josh Horowitz.
—- My Recent Stuff (Articles and Videos) —-
10 Big Lessons in Chinese AI from Kai-Fu Lee’s Book AI Superpowers (Pt 1 of 2)
AI Superpowers just came out.
I thought this was pretty solid thinking on all the talk about local services.
Didi is Rapidly Building Out Driver Services. This is Really Important (Pt 2 of 3)
Didi continues to surprise. Drivers’ services are a new platform.
My 7 Favorite China Business Books (Video)
Luckin Coffee Doesn’t Need to Beat Starbucks to Win Big in China (Video)
A Day in the Life of a Didi Chuxing Driver (Pt 1 of 3)
I met with Didi a driver and got some cool info on how it works.
——
I write, speak and consult about how to win (and not lose) in digital strategy and transformation.
I am the founder of TechMoat Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that helps retailers, brands, and technology companies exploit digital change to grow faster, innovate better and build digital moats. Get in touch here.
My book series Moats and Marathons is one-of-a-kind framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.
Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.
