36氪_让一部分人先看到未来

The reporter learned from the administrative management department of Pang Donglai Group that no rules and regulations have been formed yet, but only an early advocacy.

TOP3 Big News

The Human Resources and Social Security Bureau Responds to the New Regulations for Pangdonglai Employees

On November 20, Yu Donglai, the founder of Pangdonglai, posted on a social platform that starting from next year, Pangdonglai employees are not allowed to demand or give betrothal gifts when getting married, and the wedding banquet cannot exceed five tables. If this cannot be achieved, the company will cancel all benefits. On November 21, the reporter from Upstream News contacted the Human Resources and Social Security Bureaus of Xuchang City and Xinxiang City in Henan Province. The relevant staff members said that these regulations are an internal behavior of the enterprise and are definitely not illegal. Lawyers said that these new regulations have nothing to do with the work content and should go through the democratic decision-making of the trade union and the employees.

The reporter from The Beijing News learned from the administrative management department of Pangdonglai Group that no rules and regulations have been formed yet, but it is only an advance advocacy. The staff said that the company advocates not having betrothal gifts in the hope of avoiding extravagance and waste and reducing the pressure on young people. "Our advocacy is not to have betrothal gifts and not to be extravagant and wasteful. We also want young people to live a relaxed life and not be under pressure due to such betrothal gifts." (Upstream News, The Beijing News)

Franchisees Reveal Losing All Investments of 3 Million in Opening Burger King Outlets

Recently, the reporter has received joint revelations from multiple franchisees. Burger King has signed "unfair terms" with franchisees, resulting in huge losses for investors. During the store operation, there are multiple problems such as the delivery of near-expiry and inferior food, and unreasonable penalties. Huifang, a franchisee who invested 3 million and lost everything after one year, said that in addition to poor business and reduced customer flow, the most important reason for the loss is the high operating costs of the store, including transportation costs, equipment, and food ingredient costs. In addition to the high costs, there are also significant problems with the food ingredients delivered by Burger King. Huifang claimed: "Many vegetables delivered by the brand are not fresh or even rotten. Some tomatoes are moldy, many frozen meat patties are crushed when delivered, and even the delivered chocolate is near its expiration date."

Although franchisees have been providing feedback to the headquarters in recent years, no substantive solutions have been obtained. On the contrary, the other party often maliciously retaliates against franchisees by finding faults and imposing fines. For example, regarding food ingredient issues, the official has strict terms and regulations on food safety. If there is a food safety problem, a continuous penalty of tens of thousands of yuan will be imposed according to the number of occurrences, and the store will be closed for rectification.

It is worth noting that in recent years, Burger King's business in the Chinese market has not been easy. The store expansion speed is far lower than expected. As of October 7 this year, Burger King has approximately 1,600 stores nationwide. (Blue Whale News)

He Tongxue Apologizes for the Memo Animation Incident and Releases a Statement

Recently, the video "I Made an Animation with 360,000 Lines of Memo..." by the blogger "Teacher, Hello! I'm He Tongxue" was suspected of plagiarism. On the afternoon of November 19, He Tongxue apologized in the comment section of the video and responded to the doubts, admitting that this software was indeed "modified from an open-source program", but there were flaws when collaborating with other colleagues, resulting in problems with the relevant copy and narration.

36Kr learned that on November 21, He Tongxue stated in the statement: "Because the software we showed in the video was modified from the open-source project ASCII-generator. We were wrong, and we apologize to the original author Viet Nguyen and those who follow us here."

The statement also mentioned that the errors in the video occurred because He Tongxue, as the person who wrote the copy for this video, did not communicate well with the relevant colleagues, did not realize that the program was modified from an open-source program, and did not fulfill the obligation of reviewing the manuscript in the follow-up.

Regarding "deleting the author's name in the code", He Tongxue responded that the later colleagues in charge of the project animation did not have a clear understanding of the open-source concept. In order to make the picture neat during the shooting, they deleted the comments they wrote at the beginning of the development process and the comments containing the author's signature. In addition, He Tongxue denied deleting the author's comments.

Big Companies/Big Events

Alibaba integrates domestic and overseas e-commerce and establishes an e-commerce business group

Exclusive from 36Kr, on November 21, the CEO of Alibaba Group, Wu Yongming, sent an internal email announcing the integration of domestic and overseas e-commerce and the establishment of an e-commerce business group. Jiang Fan will serve as the CEO and report to Wu Yongming. It is understood that the new e-commerce business group will fully integrate the e-commerce businesses of Taobao Tmall Group, the International Digital Commerce Group, as well as 1688, Xianyu, etc., forming a business cluster covering the entire domestic and international industrial chain. The letter stated, "By integrating all e-commerce resources within the group, we will stimulate the capabilities accumulated over the years to serve domestic and global consumers well, while helping more small and medium-sized enterprises simultaneously expand in the domestic and overseas markets."

The new national standard plan for sanitary napkins is being drafted.

Recently, several sanitary napkins have been exposed for cutting corners on length. Some consumers found through actual measurement that the actual length of several sanitary napkins is shorter than the length marked on the outer packaging. And if only the inner absorbent layer with the function of absorbing liquid substances is considered, the length difference is even more significant. Behind this incident, the discussion on the quality of sanitary napkins continues to escalate.

Compared with "cutting corners", the quality and safety performance of sanitary napkins are more concerned by consumers. On the Black Cat Complaint Platform, a total of 2928 complaints contain the keyword "sanitary napkin". The reporter found on the National Standards Information Public Service Platform that the national standard plan with the plan number 20241954-T-607, "Sanitary Napkins (Panty Liners)", is being drafted. The project period is 16 months, and the issuance date is June 28, 2024. In addition, on the National Standards Full Text Disclosure System, information feedback on the current standards can be provided. (The Beijing News)

Midea Will Acquire the Controlling Stake in Toshiba Elevator China, with the Transaction Expected to be Completed within the Year

36Kr has learned that, according to the official WeChat account of Midea Group, Hainan Midea Building Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Midea Group Co., Ltd., has signed an equity subscription agreement with Toshiba Elevator Corporation. It will acquire shares and join Toshiba Elevator and Chevalier International Holdings Limited in the elevator joint venture in China (Toshiba Elevator (China) Co., Ltd. and Toshiba Elevator (Shenyang) Co., Ltd., collectively referred to as "Toshiba Elevator China"). After the transaction is completed, Midea will obtain the controlling stake in Toshiba Elevator China. This transaction will follow the regular regulatory procedures in China, including the completion of the anti-monopoly review. It is expected that the transaction will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Apple iPhone Sales on Double Eleven Decreased Year-on-Year

Recently, a report released by market research firm Counterpoint Research stated that during this year's "Double Eleven" shopping festival, Apple iPhone's sales in China decreased by double digits year-on-year. The main reason is that several competitors launched new phones before "Double Eleven". With Chinese mobile phone manufacturers making efforts to move towards the high-end market in recent years, Apple's competitive advantage in the Chinese market has been somewhat shaken. However, during this year's "Double Eleven", Apple's iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are still among the best-selling phones. (Securities Times)

Mihoyo Establishes Wanzhongyiti Technology Company

36Kr has learned that recently, Shanghai Mihoyo Wanzhongyiti Technology Co., Ltd. was established. The legal representative is Yu Chenxi, with a registered capital of 10 million yuan. The business scope includes online cultural business, Internet information services, animation and game development, artificial intelligence application software development, network and information security software development, etc. Data shows that the company is wholly owned by Shanghai Mihoyo Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Seres: Received a Cash Compensation of 1.374 Billion Yuan from the Controlling Shareholder

36Kr has learned that Seres announced that the company has received a 2023 annual cash compensation of 1.374 billion yuan from Chongqing Sokon Holdings Co., Ltd., the controlling shareholder, for the 2020 major asset reorganization project. The obligation to compensate for the performance commitment of this major asset reorganization has been fulfilled.

Huawei Registers Trademarks Such as "Xianjie", "Tianjie", etc., Including Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

36Kr learned that recently, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. successfully registered trademarks such as "Xianjie", "Tianjie", "Junjie", and "Zhengjie". The international classifications are all transportation tools, and the applied product categories all include electric vehicles, automobiles, hybrid vehicles, etc. The information shows that the application dates of the above trademarks are all in January of this year.

Changan Automobile Applies for Registration of Tianyu OS Trademark

36Kr has learned that recently, Changan Automobile has applied for the registration of several trademarks such as "Changan Tianyu OS", "Tianheng Intelligent Chassis", "Changan Tianyu Smart Cockpit", and "Changan Tianheng Distributed Electric Drive". The international classifications involve scientific instruments, means of transportation, etc. Currently, the status of these trademarks is under application for registration.

The three major U.S. stock indexes closed higher collectively, while Pinduoduo dropped by more than 10%.

36Kr learned that the three major U.S. stock indexes closed higher collectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 1.06%, the Nasdaq Composite Index rose by 0.03%, and the S&P 500 Index rose by 0.53%. Most of the large technology stocks declined. Google dropped by more than 4%, Amazon dropped by more than 2%, and Tesla, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple declined slightly. Netflix rose by more than 1%, and Nvidia rose slightly. Popular Chinese concept stocks had mixed performances. Pinduoduo dropped by more than 10%, iQIYI dropped by more than 7%, Baidu dropped by more than 5%, XPeng Motors and Weibo dropped by more than 2%. NetEase and NIO rose by more than 1%, and JD.com and Tencent Music rose slightly.

Universal Music Group and Modern Sky Reach Strategic Cooperation

36Kr learned that Universal Music Greater China and Modern Sky have reached a strategic cooperation. This cooperation will enable Modern Sky's rich music content to further expand its international influence through Universal Music Group's global distribution network. At the same time, Modern Sky will also provide support for Universal Music Group's localized business in China.

The US Department of Justice requests the judge to rule that Google divests the Chrome browser

Court documents show that the US Department of Justice requests the judge to rule that Google divests the Chrome browser. Google should be prohibited from re-entering the browser market within the next five years. The US Department of Justice asks the judge to require Google to divest the Android operating system if other remedial measures fail to restore competition. The US Department of Justice also asks the judge to order Google to distribute search results and information to competitors in the next 10 years. (Sina Finance)

BIRKENSTOCK Opens Two Stores in China within a Month

36Kr has learned that BIRKENSTOCK has been opening stores in China consecutively in the past month. It opened its first flagship store in Taikoo Li Chengdu in October, and a counter in Beijing China World Mall on November 7. The pop-up store in Zhangyuan, Shanghai, opened in April. The brand disclosed to 36Kr that this store will be converted into a long-term one. In addition, to commemorate the brand's 250th anniversary, the brand film exhibition of the German footwear brand BIRKENSTOCK will land at the pop-up store in Zhangyuan, Shanghai on November 21, 2024.

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru will announce a $140 billion economic stimulus plan

It is reported that the documents show that Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru will announce an economic stimulus plan of 21.9 trillion yen (approximately $140 billion), and the package is expected to have an overall impact of about 39 trillion yen. Of the 21.9 trillion yen in fiscal spending, 10.4 trillion yen will be used for growth measures, 4.6 trillion yen for easing inflation, and 6.9 trillion yen for security-related measures. (Jiemian News)

Elon Musk's brain-computer interface company Neuralink has been approved to start a clinical trial in Canada

Elon Musk's brain-computer interface company Neuralink announced on November 20 local time that it has been approved by Health Canada to launch its first clinical trial in the country and has begun recruiting subjects. The statement said that similar to the previous PRIME study, this study, called CAN-PRIME, aims to evaluate the safety of Neuralink implants and surgical robots, and to assess the initial functionality of the company's brain-computer interface in "helping quadriplegic patients control external devices with their minds". (Cailian Press)

Elon Musk Intensifies Lawsuit Against OpenAI

Recently, the lawsuit filed by the well-known American entrepreneur Elon Musk against the OpenAI has escalated once again. Musk submitted a new indictment to the District Court for the Northern District of California in the United States. The new indictment is 107 pages long, which is more than 20 pages longer than the original indictment. Based on the lawsuit filed in August, more antitrust accusations have been added, and Microsoft and the Attorney General of California, Rob Bonta, have been listed as defendants. (CCTV News)

Starbucks Responds to Rumor of "Considering Selling Shares of Its China Business": Committed to Developing in China and Seeking the Best Growth Path

There are market rumors that Starbucks is studying various options for its business in China, including the possibility of selling equity, and Starbucks has informally evaluated the interest of potential investors, including domestic private equity firms in China. In response, a Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement to the media: "We are wholeheartedly committed to our business and partners, as well as to growing in the Chinese market. We are striving to find the best growth path, which includes exploring strategic partnerships." (Jiemian News)

Stellantis to Halt Production at Factories in Southern Italy

The automaker Stellantis has announced that in response to multiple challenges such as low market demand, sluggish demand for electric vehicles, and competition from overseas markets, the company will suspend the activities of some assembly and engine factories in Italy next month (November), including the production of the Fiat Panda. Stellantis stated in a statement that the planned shutdown will affect the assembly and engine factories in Pomigliano d'Arco, Termoli, and Pratola Serra for several days between November 11 and 29. The company has informed the unions in advance and is working with them to ensure that the rights and interests of employees are properly protected during the shutdown. (Sina Finance)

Ford plans to lay off 4,000 people in Europe by the end of 2027

Ford plans to further lay off 4,000 people in Europe by the end of 2027 as part of a restructuring to create a "more cost-competitive" structure. Ford said the layoffs will mainly affect its businesses in Germany and the UK, with a small number of layoffs in other European markets. Ford mentioned "particular attention" to the Ford Europe passenger vehicle business and lower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles. The company is also further adjusting the production plans for the new Explorer and Capri. (Cailian Press)

The Forefront of AI

KPMG to Invest $100 Million in Establishing an AI Partnership with Google Cloud

According to the news, KPMG stated on November 20 that it will invest $100 million over the next four years to enhance its enterprise artificial intelligence services by collaborating with Google Cloud, a subsidiary of Alphabet. Steve Chase, Vice Chairman of Artificial Intelligence and Innovation at KPMG, said that some of the funds will be directly paid to Google, but the majority of the funds will be invested in internal work carried out with the help of Google products, including the development of artificial intelligence agents and training company employees to master this technology. (Jiemian News)

Big Company Financial Reports

Nvidia: Revenue in the third fiscal quarter of fiscal year 2025 is $35.1 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 94%

36Kr learned that Nvidia released the financial report for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. The financial report shows that Nvidia's revenue in the third quarter is $35.1 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 94%; the net profit is $19.31 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 109%.

Baidu: Core net profit in the third quarter increased by 17%, and the daily invocation volume of Wenxin Model reached 1.5 billion

36Kr learned that Baidu released its financial report for the third quarter of 2024. The financial report shows that Baidu's total revenue in this quarter was 33.6 billion yuan, and the core revenue was 26.5 billion yuan; the net profit attributable to Baidu Core was 7.54 billion yuan, an increase of 17% year-on-year, exceeding market expectations. The financial report shows that in November, the daily invocation volume of the Wenxin Model reached 1.5 billion times. Compared with the 50 million times announced in the fourth quarter of last year, it has increased 30 times in one year.

iQIYI's Q3 2024 Financial Report: Total Revenue of 7.2 Billion Yuan, Achieving Positive Operating Cash Flow for 10 Consecutive Quarters

36Kr learned that iQIYI released its third-quarter financial report for 2024. The financial report shows that iQIYI's total revenue in the third quarter was 7.2 billion yuan. Among them, the membership service revenue was 4.4 billion yuan; the online advertising service revenue was 1.3 billion yuan; the content distribution revenue was 810 million yuan; and the other revenue was 730 million yuan. In the current quarter, iQIYI's Non-GAAP (Non-US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) operating profit was 370 million yuan, achieving positive operating cash flow for 10 consecutive quarters. Gong Yu, the founder and CEO of iQIYI, said: "In the third quarter, iQIYI's drama market share in Yunhe ranked first. We have recently upgraded the strategy for content supply and services, including the highly concerned micro-dramas in the content portfolio to make it an effective supplement to long videos, and launched the Family Card package to meet the family entertainment needs, to better serve the changing entertainment needs of users."

Investment and Financing

Zhongke Innovation Star's invested enterprise "Zhongke Tianta" completes nearly 100 million yuan in Series A financing

36Kr has learned that recently, Xi'an Zhongke Tianta Technology Co., Ltd. (Zhongke Tianta), a commercial aerospace enterprise focused on intelligent satellite management, announced the completion of nearly 100 million yuan in Series A financing. This round of financing is led by China Development Bank Innovation Capital, with Shaanxi Industrial Investment and Guangdong Hard-Tech Research Institute as co-investors. The funds will be used to enhance the product capabilities in the field of intelligent satellite management, especially the improvement and implementation of the aerospace private domain large model products, to create an intelligent management ecosystem for the tens of thousands of low-orbit satellite market.

Cool Products

Huawei Will Launch a New Generation of MatePad Pro

36Kr has learned that according to Huawei Terminal, the 13.2-inch Huawei MatePad Pro will officially make its debut on November 26.

Great Wall Motors will be equipped with Huawei's intelligent driving system and be applied to the most expensive Tank off-road vehicle model

36Kr Auto has learned from several industry insiders that Great Wall and Huawei are in close discussions on cooperation in high-level intelligent driving. Some key products of Great Wall's Tank brand will be equipped with Huawei's intelligent driving and intelligent cockpit solutions. It is understood that the earliest model where Huawei's intelligent driving system may be implemented is the new Tank 700 Hi4-T. The Tank 700 Hi4-T is a luxury off-road SUV model released by Tank in February this year. It is also the most expensive of the four currently available Tank models, with a starting price of 428,000 yuan. Previously, on the Tank 700 Hi4-T cockpit, Great Wall has already equipped with Huawei's HUAWEI HiCar system, supporting the interconnection between Huawei mobile phones and Great Wall vehicle machines.

Edited by | Hao Yuqi