Tobias

Taobao Flash Sale’s July-launched ¥50 billion subsidy program significantly boosted consumption. Initial results showed restaurant brands achieving record sales, while 2,318 non-restaurant categories doubled orders. Non-restaurant orders surged 143%, indicating a structural demand shift. Responding to summer heat, appliance orders like air coolers soared over tenfold. Daily active users hit 200 million, translating to physical sales across numerous cities. The program drove a milestone of daily orders surpassing 80 million for the first time, significantly expanding the market. Furthermore, it attracted 140,000 new physical stores and helped over 210,000 existing stores double orders via its integrated platform, powerfully catalyzing service-led consumption growth nationwide.

Avenir Intelligence, under Huawei’s HarmonyOS, unveiled a redesigned emblem for its Zhijie EV brand, sparking public feedback. A social media post tagging Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun was deleted, fueling industry buzz. The metal hexagonal design echoes Tesla but adds Chinese elements. Free retrofits for owners aim to boost loyalty, aligning with Q4 vehicle plans in China’s competitive $150B market. (82 words)

Huawei’s Yu Chengdong clarified that viral footage showing him appearing asleep while driving occurred when he was distracted by smartphone use during vehicle’s Intelligent Driving mode. He emphasized the system’s reliability, explaining its stability leads to uneventful manual operation. Yu received a traffic fine after misinterpreting a passerby’s interaction triggered an investigation. Advocating regulatory evolution, he proposed legal frameworks for Level 3 autonomy allowing device use during driving, with vehicles autonomously pulling over and activating non-intrusive alerts (seatbelt tensioning/massage) if intervention is needed, prioritizing safety during occupant distraction.

Apple COO Jeff Williams to retire later this year after 27 years. Instrumental in global operations, launching the Apple Watch, and leading the design team, he will stay in transition until year-end. Tim Cook praised Williams’ immense contributions. Sabih Khan, current head of global supply chain, will succeed Williams as COO, ensuring a seamless transition. Williams plans to dedicate more time to family. (98 words)

Cathie Wood reaffirms strong support for Elon Musk and Tesla, emphasizing Musk’s critical hands-on role in sales operations during a transition phase. She maintains ARK Invest’s $2,600 price target by 2028, based on autonomous ride-hailing dominance. Wood dismissed distractions from Musk’s politics, analyzing fundamentals instead. Additionally, she critiqued Apple’s vulnerability from AI talent loss to competitors like Meta, while questioning Meta’s ability to gain sustainable advantage through its open-source AI strategy.

Four major Chinese logistics firms—Full Truck Alliance, HUOLALA, Didi Freight, and Kuaigou Taxi—signed a self-regulatory covenant to protect truck drivers’ rights. Key commitments include banning excessively low freight rates, ensuring prompt payment settlement, increasing commission transparency (“sunshine campaign”), requiring shipper prepayment, and providing fare compensation insurance. The platforms pledged not to delay payments or link cash withdrawals to behavior scores. Further measures address fee reductions, fair dispute resolution, and ending unauthorized pay deductions.

Doxxing, involving weaponized personal data for harassment, is escalating in China as a severe digital threat. Tech giant Tencent, targeting this on its platform QQ (597 million users), purged over 100,000 abusive posts, terminated 10,000+ harassment groups, and employs advanced algorithms/AI detection. This crackdown aligns with China’s intensified cyber governance and foreshadows stricter privacy law enforcement. Tencent’s approach, utilizing tech like neural networks and judicial reporting, may set a precedent for combating industrialized “doxxing economies” and balancing innovation with safety in web ecosystems.

Rumors of Jay Chou joining ByteDance’s Douyin with a **nine-figure yuan** signing fee sparked speculation, but officials denied the claims as “baseless misinformation.” Unofficial reports noted a verified private Douyin account (“@周同学”) linked to Chou, featuring his iconic branding. The artist previously demonstrated massive appeal on rival platform Kuaishou, gaining 10M+ followers in days (2020) and breaking viewership records with a 2022 concert livestream. The controversy underscores the high-stakes competition for celebrity partnerships in China’s $100B short-video sector, where A-list endorsements drive user engagement and ad revenue.

Tencent’s WeRead has upgraded its HarmonyOS app with a redesigned digital bookstore offering real-time bestseller tracking across 20+ genres, monthly releases, and a free e-book section. Technical enhancements include 29 font options, adaptive themes, image zoom, and cross-device optimization via Huawei’s AppGallery. As HarmonyOS gains traction, WeRead joins 5,000+ native apps in Huawei’s ecosystem, reflecting Tencent’s tighter collaboration with Huawei. The app maintains a 4.8/5 rating from 150,000+ users, integrating AI recommendations and multi-device sync, positioning itself as both content hub and OS tech showcase in China’s digital publishing market.

Baidu has initiated its 2026 campus recruitment, offering over 4,000 positions spanning 256 specialized roles across seven Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Dalian, and Hangzhou. Over 90% of openings are AI-related, including 90 newly created roles in multimodal systems, cross-modal algorithms, and large-scale model architecture. The recruitment features a dual-batch system: early applicants bypass written exams for accelerated interviews, while unselected candidates may reapply during the regular admission cycle. (79 words)