Krypton Evening News | Ericsson expects to continue laying off 5,000 employees in 2026; Ma Huateng: The only area where Tencent spends a relatively large amount of money is AI; KFC's delivery prices have increased, with an average increase of 0.8 yuan.
Large Companies:
Jia Guolong: No Longer Building Personal IP
Jia Guolong, the founder of Xibei Catering Group, recently stated in an exclusive interview that he will return to the front-line and focus on the core business, and will no longer build his personal IP. Jia Guolong said that he prefers to return to the front-line to improve services. "Actually, I still have the ability to work on the front-line. I can select ingredients, visit various raw material bases for comparison, choose the raw materials with better quality and lower cost to make delicious dishes. This is my pursuit." Jia Guolong estimated that from September 2025 to March 2026, Xibei will accumulate losses of over 600 million yuan. Xibei will gradually close 102 stores nationwide in the first quarter, accounting for 30% of the total number of stores.
Germany's Handelsblatt reported, citing three senior EU officials, that the European Commission will initiate formal legal proceedings against Grok, an AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI, under the Digital Services Act (DSA) this Monday. The report pointed out that this move by the EU is an upgrade of regulatory measures aimed at forcing xAI to withdraw Grok from the EU market.
Ericsson Plans to Lay Off Another 5,000 Employees in 2026
Börje Ekholm, the CEO of Swedish telecom equipment manufacturer Ericsson, recently said that the company is expected to continue laying off employees. He stated that Ericsson laid off about 5,000 employees globally in 2025 and will continue to cut costs at the same pace in 2026.
Ma Huateng: The Only Area Where Tencent Has Made Relatively Large Financial Investments Is AI
At Tencent's annual meeting held today, Ma Huateng, the chairman of Tencent's board of directors, said that 2025 is a big year for AI. This year, the competition in the industry is fierce. Besides AI, there are also community group-buying and food delivery. Tencent is making steady progress, and the only area where it has made relatively large financial investments is AI. Hunyuan has undergone structural adjustments in the past year and is striving to attract talents, including doctoral graduates. Next, it will also attract AI native talents to restructure the AI team.
KFC Raises Delivery Prices by an Average of 0.8 Yuan
KFC has made a small price increase for some of its delivery products, with an average adjustment of 0.8 yuan. The dine-in prices remain unchanged. KFC said that in order to better cope with the changes in operating costs and maintain stable and healthy operations, the company adjusted the prices of some delivery products after a full assessment. The prices of promotional packages such as "Crazy Thursday", "Weekend Crazy Combo", and "OK Meal Set" remain unchanged.
Merck Has Stopped Negotiating to Acquire Revolution Medicines
According to people familiar with the matter, Merck has stopped negotiating to acquire biotechnology company Revolution Medicines. Merck has been negotiating to acquire RevMed recently, and this deal could have valued the anti-cancer drug biotechnology company at around $30 billion. Some people familiar with the matter said that the negotiations cooled off after the two parties failed to reach an agreement on the price. There is always a possibility that the negotiations could resume, or RevMed may have another acquirer. RevMed is expected to release the highly-anticipated test data of its pancreatic and colorectal cancer candidate drugs in the first half of this year.
New Products:
United Imaging Healthcare's Dual-Wide-Body Dual-Source CT Approved for Market Launch
36Kr learned that on January 26, United Imaging Healthcare announced that its independently developed globally-first dual-wide-body dual-source CT, uCT SiriuX, has officially obtained approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for market launch.
Investment and Financing:
CVC to Acquire US Credit Management Company Marathon for $1.2 Billion
CVC Capital Partners Plc has agreed to acquire US credit management company Marathon Asset Management, which is the latest example of consolidation among alternative investment firms. According to an announcement released on Monday, CVC, which is listed in Amsterdam, will acquire Marathon through a combination of cash and equity. The basic consideration for the transaction could reach up to $1.2 billion, including $400 million in cash and up to $800 million in CVC equity.
Today's Views:
On January 26, Wang Zhihua, the director of the Department of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce, said at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office that China will unswervingly promote high-level opening-up this year and promote the innovative and balanced development of trade. China is not only willing to be the world's factory but also the world's market. Its super-large-scale market will provide broader opportunities for products and services from all countries.
Other Noteworthy News:
The Number of Newly Registered Motor Vehicles Has Exceeded 30 Million for 11 Consecutive Years
Reporters learned from the Ministry of Public Security today that, according to statistics, the total number of motor vehicles in China reached 469 million in 2025, and the number of motor vehicle drivers reached 559 million. The number of newly registered motor vehicles has exceeded 30 million for 11 consecutive years.
China's Annual Service Retail Sales Grew by 5.5% in 2025
Today (January 26), the State Council Information Office held a press conference on China's business work and operation in 2025. The press conference introduced that the annual service retail sales grew by 5.5% in 2025. The service retail sales of cultural and sports leisure, tourism consulting and leasing, transportation, etc. maintained double-digit growth.