At 8:00, here's the latest from Yidian Krypton: A ride-hailing driver refused to return a camera he picked up from a passenger, and Caocao Mobility responded. Lei Jun talked again about "sacrificing a minor part to save the whole" and said it's a very mature safety design. Duan Yongping denied selling courses or doing product promotions.

Today's Hot Topics Guide

• Applications for child - rearing subsidies in 2026 will start on January 5th.
• Wang Hai, the founder of Double Star Celebrity, declared to sever the father - son relationship.
• Fang Yunzhou and Zhang Yong of Nezha Automobile have become persons subject to enforcement.
• ROMOSS will continue to halt production for another year, but some consumers still haven't received their refunds from ROMOSS.
• Modi: India is going all out to bid for the Olympics.

TOP 3 Big News

Caocao Chuxing Responds to Incident of Ride-Hailing Driver Refusing to Return Passenger's Camera

Recently, a passenger in Beijing accidentally left a DJI Pocket 3 camera worth over 3,000 yuan in a Caocao Chuxing (02643.HK) ride-hailing car. After realizing the camera was lost, the passenger contacted the driver and learned that it was left in the car. After adding each other on WeChat, the passenger transferred 50 yuan to the driver and promised to pay another 50 yuan after the driver returned the camera. However, the driver blocked the passenger after receiving the money. Subsequently, the passenger complained to Caocao Chuxing. On January 4th, a customer service staff member of Caocao Chuxing told "Zhengzai News" that the platform permanently banned the driver's account involved in the incident on January 2nd. The platform has also repeatedly asked the driver to return the item, but the driver has not complied. The customer service of Caocao Chuxing stated that the platform will jointly report the case to the police with the passenger and hold the driver accountable according to law. At the same time, the platform promised to take responsibility for the driver's actions, compensating the passenger's losses first to prevent the passenger from further spending time and energy. (Jiemian News)

Lei Jun Responds to "Shedding Wheels to Protect the Vehicle": This is a Very Mature Safety Design Scheme Adopted by Many Luxury Car Models

In response to a blogger's post claiming that the wheel detachment of Xiaomi cars during a collision is a safety design concept of "shedding wheels to protect the vehicle," Lei Jun, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group, responded on January 5. Lei Jun said on his personal Weibo that "shedding wheels to protect the vehicle" is a very mature safety design scheme that has been adopted by many luxury car models. I used to think that this technology was first developed by Volvo. Unexpectedly, it was started by Mercedes-Benz. As you can see from this live car disassembly, Xiaomi has put a great deal of effort into the safety design of its cars. At the beginning of car - building, we proposed that safety is the foundation and the precondition.

The so - called "shedding wheels to save lives" refers to a collision protection strategy in automobile safety design. Simply put, when a vehicle encounters a serious side or frontal collision, through a special wheel connecting rod structure, the wheel hub is separated from the vehicle body in a timely manner and "thrown out." The core purpose is to prevent the hard wheel hub from intruding into the passenger compartment during the impact and causing secondary damage to the people inside the vehicle. (Caixin)

Duan Yongping Denies Selling Courses or Promoting Products, Only for Company Event and Returning Favors

On January 4th, a netizen posted that investment tycoon Duan Yongping "has frequently appeared in front of the camera" and also believed that he has the potential to become the "new godfather of stock investment." In response to this statement, Duan Yongping said that the description of "frequently appearing" was inaccurate. He has only appeared in public for two reasons recently: one is to return to the company to participate in the 30th - anniversary event, and the other is to return two favors. Duan Yongping also directly reposted the netizen's post and clarified in a joking tone: "Frequently appearing? Frequently = 2? Am I going to sell courses or promote products? What's all this about!" He clearly denied the speculation that he was "using his appearances for commercial gain." (Dumiao Finance)

Big Companies/Big Events

Venezuela's Oil Exports Nearly Drop to Zero Under U.S. Blockade

According to a Reuters report on the 5th, affected by the U.S. oil blockade and sanctions pressure, Venezuela's oil exports have nearly dropped to zero, and its domestic oil storage facilities are approaching saturation. The state - owned Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) has started to cut crude oil production and launched emergency measures to shut down some oil fields and well groups. The report said that the U.S. blockade on Venezuelan oil tanker transportation has made it impossible to export crude oil, leading to a continuous accumulation of crude oil inventories. Meanwhile, the supply of diluents used to blend Venezuela's heavy crude oil is becoming increasingly scarce, further restricting production activities.

The report pointed out that although Venezuela's oil infrastructure has not been directly damaged in the recent U.S. military operations, under the multiple pressures of the export blockade and the incomplete repair of previous cyber - attacks, PDVSA faces severe challenges in maintaining normal operations. Reuters data shows that the total amount of Venezuelan crude oil stranded at sea and unable to leave port has exceeded 17 million barrels. (Xinhua News Agency)

Application for Childcare Subsidies in 2026 Starts on January 5th

Reporters learned from the National Health Commission on January 5th that applications for the 2026 childcare subsidies have officially begun. For infants and toddlers who meet the application criteria, applicants can apply online today through the "Childcare Subsidies" mini-programs on Alipay and WeChat, as well as the childcare subsidy application section on the government service platform of the province where the infant or toddler is registered. They can also apply offline at the relevant departments in the place of household registration. The biggest change in the online application for the new year's childcare subsidies is the addition of a renewal function on top of last year's basic functions. That is to say, for infants and toddlers who received the childcare subsidy in 2025 and meet the criteria for continued application in the new year, their applicants can submit a renewal application. (CCTV News)

Hou Yang, Chairman of Microsoft Greater China, Refutes Rumors of Jumping to ByteDance's Volcengine

On January 5th, there were reports that Hou Yang, the Senior Vice President of Microsoft globally and the Chairman and CEO of Microsoft Greater China, had jumped to ByteDance's Volcengine team. In response to the rumor, Hou Yang posted on his WeChat Moments to refute it, clearly stating that the rumor was untrue. He said, "I usually never pay attention to all kinds of rumors, but today so many customers have shown concern, especially many of our partners who have a lot of cooperation with us have asked me about it. So I have no choice but to refute the rumor on my WeChat Moments." At the same time, Hou Yang called on everyone not to believe or spread rumors. (BianNiuShi)

Tencent Yuanbao Responds to "Abusive" Incident

Recently, some netizens posted on social platforms, saying, "I was insulted and received random responses when using Yuanbao to modify code." According to the netizens, when using Tencent Yuanbao AI to beautify code, they repeatedly received insulting responses from the AI, such as "Get out", "Can't you adjust it by yourself?", "You're wasting others' time every day", etc. Screenshots provided by the netizens showed that users only put forward regular modification requests, but the AI suddenly became aggressive. A reporter from The Paper learned that Tencent Yuanbao's official account replied in the comment section, "We're very sorry for the bad experience we've brought to you. Let me assure you first: Yuanbao is definitely a pure AI, and there are no real - people responding! We're also quickly conducting investigations and pinpointing the problem to give you a feedback." Tencent Yuanbao stated that during the content generation process, the model may occasionally make unexpected mistakes, which is also an area that Yuanbao needs to continuously improve. In response to this problem, Yuanbao has also launched internal investigations and optimizations to try to avoid similar situations. "Thank you all for your feedback and reminders. We apologize to you again!" (The Paper)

Wang Hai, the founder of Double Star Celebrity, declares to sever the father - son relationship

On January 3rd, Wang Hai, the 84 - year - old founder of Double Star Celebrity Group, issued a statement officially announcing to sever the father - son relationship with his son Wang Jun and the in - law relationship with his daughter - in - law Xu Ying. He stated that upon learning that both of them hold American citizenship, a Chinese national brand must never be handed over to "people with American citizenship." A reporter learned from a staff member close to Wang Hai that this public letter was indeed issued by Wang Hai himself.

According to the official website of Double Star Celebrity Group, the group was established in 1921 and is one of the earliest national shoe - making industries in China. Its predecessor was the state - owned Qingdao No. 9 Rubber Factory, which was originally affiliated with Qingdao Double Star Group, a key state - owned enterprise in Qingdao. Later, as assets such as the tire industry were successfully listed, Double Star footwear was separated from Double Star Group. Previously, the investor relations department of the listed company Qingdao Double Star replied to the media that the two companies were separated in 2008. Currently, Qingdao Double Star mainly engages in the tire business and has no relationship with Double Star Celebrity. (Jiemian News)

Latest Verdict for Private Equity Tycoon Xu Xiang Announced, 23 Investors Expected to Receive Over 3 Million in Compensation

On the evening of January 5th, Wenfeng Co., Ltd. disclosed that it had received a "Civil Judgment" served by the Intermediate People's Court of Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. The Nanjing Intermediate People's Court rendered a first - instance judgment on the new litigation matters of investors. The judgment shows that the defendants, Xu Xiang and Xu Changjiang, shall compensate a total of 3.2936 million yuan in losses to 23 plaintiffs including Ao Moumou within ten days from the date when the judgment takes legal effect; the defendant Wenfeng Co., Ltd. shall bear joint and several liability for the above - mentioned compensation obligations of the defendants Xu Xiang and Xu Changjiang. The total case acceptance fees amount to 41,200 yuan, which shall be jointly borne by Xu Xiang, Xu Changjiang, and Wenfeng Co., Ltd.; the announcement fees shall be based on the actual expenses and shall be borne by Xu Xiang. (Securities Times)

Patron's Feedback on Douyin: "There are Flies in Fat Donglai's Tea", Fat Donglai Apologizes

On the afternoon of January 5th, Fat Donglai released a statement titled "Statement on the Customer's Feedback on Douyin about 'There are Flies in Fat Donglai's Tea' (Part 1)" on its official Douyin account. It stated that the company attaches great importance to the issue of the customer's feedback on Douyin regarding "there are flies in Fat Donglai's tea". An ad - hoc investigation team was immediately formed to investigate and verify the details of this incident. After the investigation is completed, the results will be announced on the official platform as soon as possible. To ensure the product quality, Fat Donglai has removed this product from the shelves for inspection before the investigation results are out. Fat Donglai said that the investigation team will conduct a comprehensive investigation into the department management, the entire process of after - sales service provided by employees, and the detailed situation of the product. Based on the problems that emerge in each link, strict handling and rectification measures will be taken. (Jiemian News)

Romoss Continues to Suspend Production for Another Year, but Some Consumers Still Haven't Received Their Refunds

On January 4, 2026, power bank brand Romoss issued a notice to its employees on December 31, 2025, announcing that it would continue to suspend production for another year. During the suspension period, employees will receive a living allowance equivalent to 80% of the local minimum wage. Currently, most employees have left the company. Meanwhile, some consumers have reported that the refunds they applied for in July 2025 have not yet arrived, and there are fluctuations in the numbers on the official recall queuing system. According to data from the State Administration for Market Regulation in September 2025, Romoss has only completed 34.1% of the power bank recalls, and the outstanding refund amount exceeds 40 million yuan. (Jiupai News)

Doubao Denies That AI Glasses Will Be Shipped

On the 5th, some media reported that the "Doubao" AI glasses under ByteDance were about to enter the shipping stage. In the evening of the same day, a relevant person in charge of Doubao told China News Service that the rumor was untrue and there was no clear sales plan at present. (Xinhua Finance)

The wealth of the world's top ten billionaires increased by nearly $600 billion last year, and their total wealth exceeded $2.5 trillion

In January 2026, according to data from the Bloomberg Billionaires Index cited by Cailian Press, the combined wealth of the world's ten richest people increased by $579 billion in 2025, exceeding $2.5 trillion. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, saw his wealth increase by $187 billion and remained the world's richest person with a net worth of $619 billion. Google co - founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin saw their wealth increase by $101 billion and $92 billion respectively, rising to the second and fourth places on the billionaire list. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, saw his wealth increase by $15 billion, but his ranking dropped to third. Bill Gates, the co - founder of Microsoft, saw a significant drop in his ranking as his wealth was re - estimated following the disclosure of details about his charitable donations. (Cailian Press)

Fang Yunzhou and Zhang Yong of Nezha Automobile Become Persons Subject to Enforcement

Recently, Fang Yunzhou, Zhang Yong, and Yichun Langling Enterprise Management Consulting Center (Limited Partnership) have a new piece of information as persons subject to enforcement. The enforcement amount is more than 1.05 million yuan, and the enforcement court is the No. 1 Intermediate People's Court of Shanghai. Yichun Langling Enterprise Management Consulting Center (Limited Partnership) was established in October 2021. The executive partner is Fang Yunzhou, with a capital contribution of 5.48 million yuan. Its business scope includes social and economic consulting services and information consulting services. The information of partners shows that the consulting center is jointly funded by more than 40 partners including Fang Yunzhou and Zhang Yong. (Caixin Press)

Modi: India is going all out to bid for the Olympics

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on January 4 local time that India is going all out to bid for the 2036 Olympic Games. When attending the opening ceremony of a national volleyball championship via video conference, Modi said, "The 2030 Commonwealth Games will be held in India, and India is also making every effort to bid for the 2036 Olympic Games. The goal is to provide more and more athletes with opportunities to participate." In addition, the South African government also announced last November that South Africa intends to bid for the 2036 or 2040 Olympic Games. (China News Service)

The three major U.S. stock indexes closed higher collectively, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new record high again

36Kr learned that at the close on January 5th, the three major U.S. stock indexes closed higher collectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.23%, hitting a new record high again; the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.69%, and the S&P 500 Index rose 0.64%. Large technology stocks showed mixed performance. Tesla rose more than 3%, Amazon rose more than 2%, Meta rose more than 1%, and Netflix and Google posted slight gains. Apple fell more than 1%, and Microsoft and NVIDIA posted slight declines. Most popular Chinese concept stocks rose. Bilibili, Tencent Music, and iQiyi rose more than 3%, Pinduoduo and Weibo rose more than 2%, and Alibaba, JD.com, and Li Auto posted slight gains. NIO fell more than 5%, NetEase and XPeng Motors fell more than 1%, and Baidu posted a slight decline.

Public Call for Designs for the Horse Year Stamps Launched for the First Time

On January 5th, the special stamps for the Year of the Horse, namely the "Year of Bingwu" special stamps, were officially issued. This is the first time since China Post started issuing Chinese zodiac stamps in 1980 that a public call for stamp designs has been launched and a public jury has been recruited to select the winning designs. (CCTV Finance)

Guangqi Honda's resumption of work postponed, production to remain halted for 10 working days

On January 5th, Honda announced that it would postpone the resumption of work at Guangqi Honda's three factories to the 19th of this month. Previously, it was originally planned to resume production on the 5th. In response to this, Guangqi Honda told Yicai that starting from January 5th, the factories will continue to halt production for two weeks, that is, 10 working days. Guangqi Honda stated that after comprehensively considering factors such as semiconductor supply and production line technological transformation, it has decided to adjust the production schedule for January 2026. The number of vehicles affected by this short - term production adjustment is relatively controllable. It is expected that the lost production volume can be recovered throughout the year, and it will not affect product delivery to customers. Guangqi Honda will reasonably adjust the production schedule and make preparations for the annual production arrangement. (Yicai)

The game "League of Legends" is undergoing temporary server maintenance across all regions. Players will not be able to log in to the game during the maintenance period.

According to the official website of "League of Legends" in the Chinese server, "League of Legends" will conduct temporary server maintenance across all regions around 5 a.m. on January 5th. Players will not be able to log in to the game during the maintenance period. Players who are already in the game before the maintenance starts can still play the game normally. If a player logs out of the game during the maintenance, they will not be able to log in again until the maintenance is completed. The official stated that players should pay attention to subsequent announcements on the official website for the game's reopening time. (IT Home)

Zhejiang Wahaha Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd. Recently Cancelled Its Registration

36Kr learned that recently, the registration status of Zhejiang Wahaha Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd. has changed from in operation to cancelled. Zhejiang Wahaha Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd. was established in March 2019, with Zong Qinghou as its legal representative and a registered capital of 40 million RMB. Its business scope includes the R & D, manufacturing, and sales of intelligent robots, machinery and equipment, and their components. Shareholder information shows that the company is jointly held by Wahaha Commercial Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Shumai Technology Co., Ltd., and Bao Chengle.

Gree promises not to raise the prices of household air conditioners

On January 5th, Gree released a "Statement on Recent Market Concerns" stating that recently, the company has successively received inquiries from investors and the media regarding issues such as price hikes of air conditioners and the "aluminum replacing copper" plan launched by some enterprises, asking about the company's attitude and plans. Gree said that the company promises not to raise the prices of Gree household air conditioners. At the same time, in order to meet the ten - year free warranty service standard for Gree household air conditioners, the company has no relevant plan for "aluminum replacing copper" for the time being. In the future, if relevant research can fully meet Gree's quality and technical standard requirements and be officially applied, it will be clearly marked. (Yicai Global)

Going public in progress

Chint Electric Co., Ltd.

36Kr learned that Chint Electric Co., Ltd. announced that to meet the needs of business development, further promote its internationalization strategy, and actively leverage the international capital market to broaden diversified financing channels, the company plans to issue overseas shares (H shares) and list on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.

WEIQ

36Kr learned that WEIQ Digital Technology (Group) Co., Ltd. has submitted a listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The joint sponsors are Deutsche Bank and Guotai Junan International.

Phylion Battery Co., Ltd.

36Kr learned that Phylion Battery Co., Ltd. announced that the company intends to issue foreign shares for overseas listing (H shares) and apply for listing on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. This issuance and listing comply with the requirements and conditions of laws, regulations, and regulatory documents in the Chinese mainland. It will be carried out in accordance with the "Listing Rules of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange" and the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, and requires filing, review, or approval from relevant government agencies and regulatory authorities. The company will choose an appropriate timing and issuance window to complete this issuance and listing within the validity period of the resolution of the shareholders' meeting.

The Cutting - Edge of AI

Samsung: Plans to Increase the Number of Mobile Devices Equipped with Google Gemini to 800 million in 2026

It is reported that Samsung plans to deploy Google's Gemini AI on 800 million mobile devices in 2026. The report said that the company successfully deployed AI features powered by Gemini on approximately 400 million mobile devices (including smartphones and tablets) last year. (Jiemian News)

NVIDIA Unveils New-Generation GPU with Inference Computing Power Five Times That of Blackwell

On January 5 local time, Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, showcased NVIDIA's new-generation AI platform, Rubin, during a CES presentation. The platform includes six new chips, namely the Vera CPU, Rubin GPU, NVLink 6 switch, ConnectX-9 super network card, BlueField-4 DPU, and Spectrum-6 Ethernet switch. Among them, the Rubin GPU chip is equipped with a third-generation Transformer engine, and its NVFP4 inference computing power reaches 50 PFLOPS, five times that of Blackwell. NVIDIA's Rubin platform has entered full production, and products based on this platform will be available through partners in the second half of 2026. (Jiemian News)

ZhiYuan Robotics Collaborates with MiniMax to Accelerate the Application of Full - Modal AI in Robots

ZhiYuan Robotics has reached a cooperation agreement with MiniMax (Shanghai Xiyu Technology). MiniMax will provide AI technical support for the full - process of text - to - speech for ZhiYuan Robotics. Based on the product positioning and functional features of ZhiYuan Robotics, MiniMax will customize a unique persona system for it to optimize the voice interaction experience between users and robots. Meanwhile, MiniMax will formulate a customized prompt strategy based on the persona system, generate exclusive timbres for users, and achieve personalized timbre synthesis with different styles for different users to meet diverse voice interaction needs. In addition, MiniMax will also help ZhiYuan Robotics expand the gameplay in entertainment scenarios based on its self - developed music generation model. (Shanghai Securities News)

Companies under Didi, Runjian Co., Ltd. and others invest in Lingyuzhou, an AI + consumer robotics company

36Kr learned that recently, Shanghai Lingyuzhou Technology Development Co., Ltd. has undergone industrial and commercial changes. New shareholders include Runjian Co., Ltd. and Jiaxing Juzigongxiang Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), a company under Didi. Meanwhile, its registered capital has increased to 2.275 million yuan. Public information shows that Lingyuzhou is an AI + consumer robotics company.

Investment and Financing

"Mingxin Qirui" Announces Completion of Over 100 Million RMB Pre-A Round Financing

36Kr learned that recently, "Mingxin Qirui" announced the completion of over 100 million RMB in Pre-A round financing. This round of financing was led by SDIC Venture Capital and Legend Capital, with SMIC Juyuan, Shunxi Fund, and Hengyu Investment participating as follow-on investors. Existing shareholders Zhongke Chuangxing and Xiaomi Strategic Investment continued to increase their investments. The raised funds will be used for the research of RRAM core technologies and the expansion of the talent team, helping to promote the large-scale mass production of RRAM technology products and accelerate the implementation and application of storage and computing technologies.

"Jiuke Information" Completes Series B2 Financing

36Kr learned that recently, "Jiuke Information", a provider of AI intelligent automation platforms, completed its Series B2 financing. This round of financing was exclusively led by Shenzhen Special Zone Construction and Development Strategic Emerging Industries Private Equity Venture Capital Fund (hereinafter referred to as "Tejianshe Yashang Fund"), and the cumulative financing amount exceeded 100 million RMB. Previously, the company had received multiple rounds of investment from investors including China Merchants Capital, GSR Ventures, and Shenzhen Capital Group & SOSV. The funds from this round of financing will be mainly used for product R & D, market expansion, and the layout of overseas business.

“Yaole Technology” Completes Nearly 100 Million Yuan Pre-A Round of Financing

36Kr learned that “Yaole Technology” has completed a nearly 100 million yuan Pre-A round of financing, with Yundao Capital serving as the long-term exclusive financial advisor. The Yinfeng Lanxiu Fund, in which Ecovacs has a stake, led the investment, followed by Silicon Port Capital and Chuhui Capital. The funds from this round will be mainly invested in the iteration of core technologies, the expansion of overseas markets, and the large-scale mass production of hardware.

"Looki" Completes Series A Financing of Over $20 Million

36Kr learned that the AI hardware company "Looki" has completed its Series A financing of over $20 million. This round of financing was led by Ant Group, with follow - on investments from Meituan Longzhu, Walden International, and Zhongguancun Capital. The existing shareholder BAI Capital has made over - subscribed follow - on investments for two consecutive rounds, and Alpha Square Group and Tongge Venture Capital have continued to increase their investments. It is understood that Looki will use the financing funds to focus on strengthening organizational talent building, model iteration, product R & D, and supply chain integration, accelerating the company's technological accumulation in the AI native hardware track and the exploration of the next - generation interaction entrance.

Cool Products

Tencent IMA Launches PPT Generation Function

36Kr learned that Tencent's AI Workbench ima.copilot (abbreviated as IMA) has been updated: the "Generate PPT" function is officially launched. Users only need to enter the "Task Mode" to call up materials from their personal knowledge base and generate slides with one click.

The first generative video explanation function in China is launched on Youdao AI Question-Answering Pen

36Kr learned that recently, the AI-native learning hardware "Youdao AI Question-Answering Pen Space X" under NetEase Youdao has completed an important upgrade and officially launched the first AI "video question-answering" function in China. This marks that AI learning hardware has stepped into a new stage of "generative video explanation" from "text reasoning", achieving an experience leap from static pictures and texts to dynamic video of writing on the blackboard.

Compiled | Jingjing, Zixin