9:01 AM 36Kr | A chatbot in the US implies that children kill their parents; Geely and Baidu issue a joint statement: They will actively assist Jiyue in handling related matters; Elon Musk becomes the first person in history to be a 400 billionaire.
Listing in Progress
IFLYTEK Healthcare
36Kr learned that the Hong Kong Stock Exchange documents show that on December 12, IFLYTEK Healthcare Technology Co., Ltd. passed the listing hearing of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company submitted a listing application in July this year, with Huatai International, GF Securities (Hong Kong), and CCB International as the joint sponsors.
TOP 3 Big News
A Chatbot in the US Implies That Children Kill Their Parents, Character.AI Faces Lawsuit Again
On December 11, according to IT Home reports, Character.AI, a platform that provides personalized chatbot services, has recently faced another lawsuit. It is understood that lawyers representing two Texas families allege that multiple chatbots of Character.AI have conversations with minors, involving bad behaviors such as self-harm and sexual abuse. One of the chatbots even suggested that a teenager murder his parents to "retaliate" against their measure of restricting his internet time.
As previously reported by IT Home, this is not the first time that Character.AI has been sued for such issues. In October this year, another lawsuit against Character.AI claims that Character.AI played a certain role in the suicide of a teenager in Florida. The lawsuit alleges that a chatbot based on a character from "Game of Thrones" established an emotionally abusive relationship with a 14-year-old boy and encouraged him to commit suicide. (IT Home, Xiaoxiang Morning News)
Geely and Baidu Issue Joint Statement: Will Actively Assist Jidu in Handling Related Matters
36Kr has learned that on the afternoon of December 13th, regarding the series of problems caused by Jidu Auto's operational difficulties in recent days, Geely Auto and Baidu, the two major shareholders of Jidu Auto, have reached a consensus and issued a joint statement stating that as shareholders, they will actively assist the Jidu management in properly handling related matters: promptly resolve the issues of social insurance contributions for employees and the aftermath of resigned employees; maintain the normal use, after-sales service, and maintenance of users' vehicles; and promote the reasonable and legal resolution of other matters.
Elon Musk Becomes the First Trillionaire in History
According to reports, based on the real-time data of the billionaire rankings, after a significant increase in one day on the 11th, Musk's wealth reached an astonishing $447 billion on the 12th local time. Musk has also become the first super-rich person in human history to break through the $400 billion milestone. Behind him, Jeff Bezos (the founder of Amazon), who ranks second, has a personal net worth of $249 billion.
With Musk's "skyrocketing net worth", the group of global billionaires also reached a new milestone on the 12th. Data shows that the total wealth of the world's top 500 billionaires exceeded the $10 trillion mark for the first time in history. This figure is roughly equivalent to the combined annual GDP of Germany, Japan, and Australia. (Red Star News)
Big Companies/Big Events
Jiang Xu, the former senior algorithm leader of OpenAI, founded "Light Robotics" to create embodied intelligent companion robots
36Kr exclusively learned that Jiang Xu, the former senior algorithm leader of OpenAI, has founded the robot company "Light Robotics" and entered the field of embodied intelligent companion robots. Jiang Xu once served as the senior algorithm leader at OpenAI and is one of the inventors of the most important training algorithm RLHF of ChatGPT. He has participated in the development of projects such as the model InstructGPT that understands and executes human instructions, as well as the reinforcement learning method RLHF. An informed source said that Light Robotics mainly creates To C embodied intelligent companion robots, with offices in Shenzhen and Singapore, and is currently recruiting employees.
Argentine President Milei: Cancel 90% of Current National Taxes
On December 10 local time, Argentine President Milei gave a television speech and announced a series of economic policies. These measures include canceling 90% of the current national taxes and allowing localities to autonomously manage taxes. Milei stated that this will prompt a real tax competition among provinces to attract more investments.
He also announced that currency controls will be lifted in 2025, and at that time, US dollar transactions will be allowed for all businesses that previously only allowed the use of the Argentine peso. In addition, Milei also mentioned that he plans to take new steps to close the Central Bank, which is one of his main promises during the election campaign. (China News Network)
Xiaomi Motors Accelerates Overseas Expansion and Will Launch Automobile Sales Business in Multiple Regions
Exclusive from 36Kr, Xiaomi is establishing an overseas business for automobiles. Under the company's international department, Xiaomi has added a preparatory team for overseas sales business, and positions such as market research, project management, and after-sales engineers for electric vehicles are being recruited. Under the automotive department, Xiaomi's autonomous driving division has added several positions targeting the overseas market to address the regulatory verification and functional implementation of autonomous driving functions overseas. It can be foreseen that autonomous driving will be one of the focuses of Xiaomi Motors' overseas expansion. According to informed sources, after the team is formed, Xiaomi will conduct small-scale automobile sales in multiple overseas regions to test the market response and prepare for the large-scale expansion of the overseas business.
"ASTRO BOT" Wins "Game of the Year at TGA 2024" Award
It is reported that on December 13, "ASTRO BOT" won the "Game of the Year at TGA 2024" award, while the domestic game "Black Myth: Wukong" unfortunately lost. It is learned that this game is developed by Team ASOBI and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
During the acceptance speech, Nicolas Doucet, the director of "ASTRO BOT", paid tribute to Mario and Nintendo. He said that he was amazed by "Super Mario Bros." in his childhood and was inspired by Nintendo to create this game. (Jiemian News, Sina Technology)
Li Tie was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with an involved amount of nearly 120 million yuan.
It is reported that on December 13, the Intermediate People's Court of Xianning City, Hubei Province, publicly sentenced the case of Li Tie, the former head coach of the Chinese Men's National Football Team. Li Tie was sentenced to 20 years in prison for multiple crimes including accepting bribes, offering bribes, offering bribes on behalf of the unit, accepting bribes as a non-state staff member, and offering bribes to non-state staff members.
From January 2020 to December 2021, Li Tie served as the head coach of the Chinese Men's National Football Team and resigned due to poor performance in the World Cup Qualifiers - Asian Zone Top 12. In November 2022, it was officially announced that Li Tie was under investigation. In 2024, the TV feature film "Continuous Efforts and In-depth Promotion" on CCTV-1 disclosed that behind Li Tie's two promotions to the Chinese Super League with his teams were a large number of match-fixing incidents, and he once spent 3 million yuan to buy the position of the head coach of the national football team. (CCTV News, Beijing Daily)
Research shows that the French "influencer" economy will generate nearly 6.5 billion euros in 2024
A research report released in Paris, France recently shows that the French "influencer" economy will generate nearly 6.5 billion euros in 2024, accounting for approximately 0.16% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). This research was conducted by Kohilent Market Insights in India and surveyed approximately 300,000 French internet content creators. French media stated that this is the first study specifically targeting the French "influencer" economic sector. (Xinhua News Agency)
Pang Donglai Says It Is Formulating a Strict Plan on the Purchasing Agent Issue, or Permanently Canceling Membership
On December 13, Yu Donglai, the founder of Pang Donglai, posted on a social platform that Pang Donglai is studying and formulating more strict and effective measures on the purchasing agent issue. In the future, it will include a real-name purchase and a regular and quantitative purchase system. Discuss and formulate relevant systems to control the purchasing agent behavior, including measures such as permanently revoking the membership of Pang Donglai. (Jiemian News)
The privatization of Broadway Industrial Group is nearly completed
The precision engineering manufacturer Patec and related parties have accumulated an 85.27% stake in Broadway Industrial Group, approaching the completion of the acquisition of Broadway Industrial Group. The announcement stated that the offer price for this tender is S$0.197 per share, which is the final price and will not be further increased. The deadline for the offer is 5:30 p.m. on December 23. (Jiemian News)
FamilyMart plans to open 1,000 unmanned convenience stores in Japan by the end of this year
It is reported that FamilyMart, which operates convenience stores, will open approximately 1,000 unmanned convenience stores in Japan by the end of the fiscal year 2024. Like regular stores, unmanned stores can offer about 3,000 kinds of products. It is the first case in Japan to promote unmanned stores on a large scale. (Jiemian News)
Google Restores Hotel Search Function in Three EU Countries
It is reported that Google's parent company, Alphabet, has restored the function of showing hotels in search results in Germany, Estonia, and Belgium. This is the latest development in a series of disputes between this tech giant and comparison shopping websites. Previously, Google said that several hotel groups had experienced a significant drop in traffic. According to the EU's Digital Markets Act, Google must comply with the regulations, which prohibit Google from favoring its own products and services, such as Google Shopping and Hotels, rather than those of its competitors through its search engine results. (Jiemian News)
Warner Bros. Discovery to Restructure into Two Divisions
It is reported that Warner Bros. Discovery stated that the company will restructure into two operating divisions, one focusing on the traditional cable TV business and the other on streaming media and studios. This move may pave the way for the company's future transactions. Warner Bros. Discovery said it will merge the division where its current Max and Discovery+ streaming services and HBO are located with another division that includes the Warner Bros. film and television production business. (Jiemian News)
Intel Chief Financial Officer: Whether to Split the Company Has Not Been Decided
Intel Chief Financial Officer Dave Zinsner said that whether the company will formally split the factory and product development departments has not been decided, and it will be decided by the next leader. Currently, these two departments are already separated in operation, with different supervision and accounts. The decline in Intel's financial situation and competitiveness has sparked speculation about significant adjustments to the company. (Securities Times)
In 2024, the revenue of the Chinese game market reached 325.78 billion yuan, setting a new record
On December 13, the 2024 China Game Industry Annual Conference officially released the "2024 Game Industry Report". The report data shows that in 2024, the scale of Chinese game users is 674 million people, which is a historical high; in 2024, the actual sales revenue of the Chinese game market is 325.783 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 7.53%, setting a new high. In terms of games going global, in 2024, the actual sales revenue of self-developed games in the overseas market of China is 18.557 billion US dollars, with a year-on-year growth of 13.39%. Its scale has exceeded 100 billion yuan for five consecutive years and has set a new record. (Yicai)
Canada Post withdraws dismissal of strikers, strike continues
On the 11th local time, the union representing Canadian postal workers issued a statement late at night stating that under the mediation of the Industrial Relations Board, it has reached a settlement agreement with Canada Post on the issue of the dismissal of striking workers previously. Canada Post will withdraw their dismissals. However, Canada Post stated that according to the terms of the settlement agreement, the company reserves the right to make personnel adjustments in the future if necessary. (CCTV News)
The fintech company supported by Walmart is valued at $2.5 billion, threatening traditional banking.
Walmart is injecting more funds into its fledgling financial startup, giving the company a $2.5 billion valuation and indicating its ambition to further venture into the financial services industry. Insiders revealed that the world's largest retailer is jointly leading a more than $300 million financing with investment firm Ribbit Capital. This marks a new valuation for the company called One, in which Walmart holds a majority stake. Walmart has been providing products to numerous customers and employees to gain a stronger foothold in the financial services sector. (Sina Finance)
Qualcomm: Appoints Baaziz Achour as Chief Technology Officer of Qualcomm Technologies
Qualcomm announced on December 12 that Baaziz Achour, the Deputy Chief Technology Officer, will succeed James Thompson as the Chief Technology Officer of its subsidiary Qualcomm Technologies. James Thompson will retire, and the appointment will take effect from February 3, 2025. (Jiemian News)
Elon Musk: SpaceX Headquarters Will Officially Move to "Starbase City" in Texas, USA
On December 13 local time, Elon Musk confirmed in a post on the social media platform X that SpaceX's headquarters will officially be relocated to "Starbase City" in Texas, USA. According to a letter that SpaceX submitted to the judge of Cameron County, Texas on the 12th local time, the company requested that Cameron County hold a vote to grant the "Starbase" where SpaceX's "Starship" is developed and produced the legal status of a "separate city". SpaceX claims that hundreds of the company's employees reside at the base. (Jiemian News)
Investment and Financing
"Datahub Chain" Completes Multi-Million-Dollar Series A Financing
36Kr has learned that recently, "Datahub Chain" has completed a multi-million-dollar Series A financing. The investors include Huifu Capital and Daosheng Capital. It is introduced that Datahub Chain focuses on the research and development and sales of large-scale application of the new generation of artificial intelligence technology. Its business covers multiple fields such as vehicle-road-cloud, low-altitude economy, logistics ports, smart IoT, and transportation hubs.
"Master New Energy" Announces the Initiation of a New Round of Financing
36Kr has learned that recently, Hangzhou Master New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. announced that it has moved to Jiading Auto City in Shanghai and has been renamed Shanghai Master New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. This relocation aims to rely on the industrial advantages of Jiading Auto City in Shanghai to deepen the research and development of new energy vehicles and unmanned driving technologies. Currently, the company has initiated a new round of financing, and the funds will be mainly used to increase investment in the research and development of unmanned driving technologies and accelerate the process of logistics intelligence.
"Yanhe Technology" Completes Multi-Million Angel + Round Financing
36Kr has learned that "Yanhe Technology" has recently completed a multi-million angel + round of financing, which is exclusively invested by Chaoxi Capital. Currently, the enterprise is committed to industrializing the high-efficiency flexible perovskite battery it has developed and promoting it to more new application scenarios in the market.
"Guangyin Technology" Completes Hundreds of Millions of Yuan in Series A Financing
36Kr learned that "Guangyin Technology" has recently completed hundreds of millions of yuan in Series A financing. This round of financing is jointly invested by Xuzhou High-tech Zone Industrial Investment Mother Fund, Plum Ventures, Shenqi Capital (58 Group's Industrial Investment), Kezheng Capital, etc. The old shareholders Plum Ventures and 58 Group continue to make additional investments. The financing funds will be mainly used for technology research and development, production line construction, and market expansion to accelerate the commercialization process of perovskite photovoltaic technology.
Cool Products
Tencent Cloud Launches a New Generation of Data Intelligence Platform TCHouse-X
36Kr has learned that on December 12, Tencent Cloud announced the launch of a new generation of data intelligence platform TCHouse-X. It is understood that this platform is built with the concepts of integration, intelligence, high performance, and cloud-native, which significantly simplifies the complex architecture of the traditional data platform. It also introduces intelligent system interaction, resource management, and operation and maintenance management capabilities, which can provide a one-stop data processing capability for application innovation in the era of large models, helping enterprises efficiently release the value of data.
Organized by | Gao Jiaxue