8:01 AM | Holiland commends an employee for working continuously for 29 hours; The creative team of Ne Zha stops all external interviews; WeChat responds to the integration of DeepSeek into its search function.
TOP3 Big News
Hollyland Commends Employees for Working Continuously for 29 Hours, Store Manager: Unclear about Overtime Situation
Recently, a Hollyland store in Chengdu, Sichuan Province commended its overtime employees, which has attracted attention. The notice stated that two employees "voluntarily stayed in the store overnight to prepare Valentine's Day products and related work, and continuously worked for 29 hours, demonstrating an especially prominent sense of proactive responsibility and hardworking spirit. After the research and decision of the market leadership team, each person will be awarded 1,000 yuan as an encouragement." And it is required to count the list of personnel who worked more than 20 hours that day.
The store manager responded that the commended employees are indeed from the store, but he is not clear about the overtime situation of the employees. He said, "Under normal circumstances, our store does not have overtime. It is the normal working hours, divided into morning, noon, and evening shifts, with 8 - 10 hours of work per day." Usually, there is no overtime on holidays. The staff of Hollyland's customer service center said that they have not received the notice and said that they need to verify and understand the situation with the store manager.
Regarding the issue of long working hours of overtime, the staff of the Labor Inspection Brigade of Chengdu High-tech Zone said that according to the relevant provisions of the Labor Law, the overtime hours per month should not exceed 36 hours. Currently, no relevant complaints have been received, and they will further pay attention to this matter. If there are complaints, an investigation will be conducted. (China Newsweek)
The creative team of Ne Zha has stopped all external interviews
On February 19, a major film and television blogger on a social platform revealed that the director of "Ne Zha 2", Jiao Zi, has officially secluded himself to focus on the preparations for "Ne Zha 3". Staff members from Coco Bean Animation also told reporters that the creative team has currently stopped all external interviews. "The movie is still in theaters, and we hope that everyone will focus their attention on the work." (Jimu News)
WeChat Responds to Search Integration with DeepSeek: Claims AI Will Not Use Information Such as Moments Chats
Recently, WeChat announced the integration of the DeepSeek-R1 model. Currently, it is in the gray-scale testing stage. Some users can use the deep thinking function of DeepSeek-R1 by selecting AI search in the WeChat search box. WeChat said, "Based on everyone's needs, we have integrated large models including Hunyuan and DeepSeek in the search scenario to further enrich users' search experience."
Regarding the data source of WeChat AI search, WeChat stated, "To provide users with more comprehensive and high-quality answers, the current content sources of WeChat AI search not only include the rich WeChat ecosystem content such as official accounts, but also high-quality content from the entire network. AI search only integrates official accounts and other publicly available information on the Internet, and will not use users' personal information and related privacy information." (Sina Technology)
Big Companies/Big Events
Media Test on Grok3: "Which is greater, 9.11 or 9.9?", Grok3 fails to give the correct answer
On February 18th, Beijing time, Musk and the xAI team officially released the latest version, Grok3, in a live stream. Some media tested the latest Beta version of Grok 3 and raised that classic question used to challenge large models: "Which is greater, 9.11 or 9.9?" However, Grok 3, which Musk claims to be the "smartest", still fails to answer this question correctly. But Musk doesn't seem to care. He publicly responded that the current Grok 3 is only a beta version, and the more errors at this stage, the better. The full version will be launched in the coming months, and users are invited to provide feedback on usage issues. (Fast Technology)
Elon Musk: Plans to launch a spacecraft within 4 weeks to bring two US astronauts stranded in space back to Earth
The CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, said in an interview on the 18th local time when talking about the two US astronauts stranded in space that he plans to carry out a launch mission within 4 weeks to bring these two astronauts back to Earth. (Cailian Press)
The three major U.S. stock indexes closed higher collectively, and large technology stocks had mixed performances
36Kr learned that as of the close on February 19, the three major U.S. stock indexes closed higher collectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.16%, the Nasdaq Composite Index rose by 0.07%, and the S&P 500 Index rose by 0.24%. Large technology stocks had mixed performances. Tesla and Microsoft rose by more than 1%, while Apple, Google, and Netflix rose slightly; Arm fell by more than 3%, Meta fell by more than 1%, and Nvidia and Amazon fell slightly. Most popular Chinese concept stocks declined. Tencent Music, Pinduoduo, and Weibo fell by more than 3%, Baidu and Bilibili fell by more than 2%, and Alibaba and NetEase declined slightly; iQIYI rose by more than 4%, Li Auto rose by more than 3%, and Xpeng Motors rose by more than 2%.
The upward trend of gold price has not been broken, and the long-term demand in the market remains strong
According to Yicai Global, affected by the significant correction of the international gold price in the near future, long queues have formed at the recycling points of some domestic gold retailers, and investors are cashing in their profits at high prices. However, industry analysts believe that although short-term fluctuations have intensified, the global central banks' gold-buying spree has not stopped, and the long-term demand for gold in the market remains strong.
According to National Business Daily, this week, the gold price has continued to rise. On February 19, the gold price continued to soar. The COMEX gold futures reached a maximum of $2,957 per ounce, with an intraday increase of nearly 0.3%, while the spot gold fluctuated slightly. On February 18, both the spot gold and the COMEX gold futures increased by more than 1%. Among them, the spot gold broke through $2,930 per ounce, and the COMEX gold futures broke through $2,950 per ounce, just one step away from the historical high set last week. (Yicai Global, National Business Daily)
Unitree Robotics Officially Responds: No Plan for Price Reduction for Now
Recently, some media reported that the Unitree humanoid robot, which appeared on the Spring Festival Gala stage, has become extremely popular and once was "out of stock and removed from shelves", with a "daily rental of up to 15,000 yuan and a second-hand price being hyped up to 120,000 yuan". Currently, it is rumored that the price is expected to drop. Regarding whether the pricing of future robots will continue to decrease, a person in charge of Unitree Technology said that in the future, it is not a big problem for the price of quadruped robots to drop to three or four thousand Chinese yuan, and it can truly enter the consumer-level era. Currently, the price of 10,000 Chinese yuan for a quadruped robot is still a bit expensive for ordinary people. In response, the reporter verified with the customer service of the Unitree Official Flagship Store and learned that there will be no price reduction for now. (21 Finance and Economics)
Boeing Plans to Lay Off 200 Employees as NASA Contract Not Renewed: Future of Space Exploration in Jeopardy
According to Kuaikeji, Boeing has recently issued layoff notices to approximately 200 employees involved in the Space Launch System (SLS) project. The reason is that its contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is set to expire in March, and the possibility of renewal is low.
Boeing initially expected to cut about 400 positions by April to cope with the budget adjustment and schedule changes of the Artemis program. However, after in-depth communication with NASA, the number of layoffs was finally reduced to 200. David Dutcher, Vice President of the SLS project, has confirmed this news to the employees via email. Since the SLS project was launched in 2011, the development cost has accumulated to as high as 23.8 billion US dollars. However, its launch frequency is only once every two years, and the single launch cost is as high as 4.1 billion US dollars, which has sparked widespread controversy. (Kuaikeji)
JD.com and Meituan Successively Announce to Provide Five Social Insurances and One Housing Fund for Delivery Riders
36Kr learned that according to JD.com's Blackboard News, starting from March 1, 2025, JD.com will gradually provide five social insurances and one housing fund for full-time delivery riders of JD.com Food Delivery, and offer accident insurance and health medical insurance for part-time riders. After that, at 16:30 on February 19 after the Hong Kong stock market closed, Meituan also announced that it will provide social insurance for full-time and stable part-time riders nationwide. It is expected to be implemented starting from the second quarter of 2025.
Nezha 2 Extended Screening until March 30
36Kr learned that the movie "Nezha: Devil Child Causes Havoc in the Sea" will be extended until March 30.
Alibaba's AI To C business has recently launched a large-scale recruitment drive, with hundreds of positions open.
36Kr has learned that Alibaba's AI To C business has recently initiated a large-scale recruitment, with hundreds of positions available. Among them, AI technology and product R & D positions account for 90%, mainly distributed in the directions of AI products and AI technology R & D. The focus will be on the related work of cutting-edge technologies and applications such as text, multimodal large models, and AI Agent.
TikTok E-commerce's Growth Target in the US This Year is 400%
It is learned from several informed sources that before TikTok experienced the shutdown turmoil in the US, TikTok E-commerce had set a goal of a 400% growth in the US this year. Currently, the fastest-growing category of TikTok E-commerce in the US is home furnishings, and health supplements also have a good growth. A Chinese merchant operating on TikTok E-commerce expressed an optimistic attitude. In his view, the current development status of TikTok E-commerce in the US is similar to that of Douyin E-commerce in China around 2020, and small and medium-sized merchants can receive about 1,000 orders per day. (Jiemian News)
Is Ant Group Developing Intelligent Robots on Its Own? Company Response
Recently, information on a recruitment platform shows that Ant Group is opening recruitment for positions such as embodied intelligent humanoid robot systems and applications. Some media interviewed insiders who said that the relevant recruitment entity is Shanghai Ant Lingbo Technology Co., Ltd., which was registered and established at the end of 2024 with a registered capital of 100 million yuan. "Ant is indeed working on embodied intelligence," the aforementioned person said. In response to this, Ant Group responded to 36Kr, "Ant Group registered and established Ant Lingbo Technology Co., Ltd. last year, focusing on the research and development of embodied intelligent technologies and products. Ant Group is continuously making layouts and increasing investment in AI." (Sina Technology)
The entrance of JD Taxi is closed. EQI Travel: Internal adjustments are being made, and the time for re-launching is undetermined
JD App previously launched the "Domestic Taxi Service". However, when searching for the taxi service on JD again on the morning of February 19, it was found that the entrance had been closed. In response, a relevant staff member of EQI Travel said that the reason verified at present is that internal adjustments are being made, and it may need to be suspended for a period of time. It will be re-launched later, and there is no specific notice on the launch time. Currently, passengers can only travel by other means. (CBN)
Huawei's Triple-Folding Phone Has a Higher Overseas Pricing Than in China
Recently, Huawei officially launched the Huawei Mate XT Extraordinary Master triple-folding phone in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It only offers a 16GB + 1TB version, priced at 3,499 euros. According to the real-time exchange rate, it is approximately 26,629 yuan in RMB, which is higher than the domestic price of 23,999 yuan. The overseas version of Huawei's triple-folding phone does not come with the HarmonyOS, but uses the EMUI 14.2 system based on AOSP. (Securities Times)
Moutai Increases Payment Price for 53-Degree 1000ml Moutai Liquor by Over 20%
It is learned from several channel sources that recently Moutai has raised the payment price for the kilogram Moutai (53-degree 1000ml Moutai Liquor). That is, the payment is made at a 10% discount (3419 yuan/bottle) of the official retail suggested price of 3799 yuan/bottle, which is about a 22% price increase compared to the previous supply price. It is estimated in the industry that the sales volume of kilogram Moutai was about several thousand tons last year; in 2025, Moutai will moderately increase the market supply of kilogram Moutai. The analysis points out that this move is helpful to compress the channel profits, increase the ton price of Moutai Liquor, enhance the performance of Moutai Company, and at the same time reduce the performance pressure on Pu Mao (53-degree 500ml Moutai Liquor). (Cailian News Agency)
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to lay off at least 40% of the staff at the Federal Housing Administration.
It is reported that two sources disclosed that the Trump administration plans to reduce the staff of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) by at least 40%. (Jiemian News)
US New Energy Truck Manufacturer Nikola Files for Bankruptcy
Once the "darling" of the electric vehicle industry, Nikola Corp. has filed for bankruptcy. Under the pressure of weak sales, a fraud scandal, and successive executive changes, the company's long decline has ended in bankruptcy. The company plans to liquidate its assets after entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in Delaware on February 19. According to court documents, its listed assets are between $500 million and $1 billion, and its liabilities are between $1 billion and $10 billion. The documents highlight the difficulties faced by the electric and hydrogen-powered semi-truck manufacturer, such as reduced cash, slowed sales, and a plummeting stock price. Earlier this month, it was reported that Nikola was considering filing for bankruptcy, and the company acknowledged that it was "sparing no effort to raise funds". (Sina Finance)
Ackman Raises Bid for Howard Hughes, Vows to Build a "Modern Version of Berkshire" like Buffett
The American hedge fund tycoon and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, Bill Ackman, raised the acquisition offer for Howard Hughes Holdings (HHH) on February 18 and vowed to build a "modern version" of Berkshire Hathaway. (Sina Finance)
Does Intel Have a New Major Investor? Rumor Has It That a Private Equity Giant Will Acquire Its Subsidiary
It is reported that the private equity firm Silver Lake is in exclusive negotiations with Intel to acquire a majority stake in its programmable logic chip division Altera. Silver Lake is finalizing the investment details for Altera. Although the exact shareholding ratio has not been determined, it is widely believed in the market that this transaction will bring much-needed cash to Intel, helping it reduce costs and optimize capital utilization. This news drove Intel's overnight stock price to surge by 16%. Previously, it was reported that TSMC and Broadcom are evaluating the possibility of acquiring some of Intel's businesses, and even potentially splitting the US chip giant in two. However, the relevant plans have not been officially confirmed. (Sina Finance)
The developer of Pokémon games is said to be close to selling its video game business for $3.5 billion.
It is reported that several informed sources have disclosed that Niantic Inc., the developer of the popular 2016 game Pokémon Go, is in talks to sell its video game business to Scopely Inc., a company owned by Saudi Arabia. The deal may be announced in the coming weeks. One of the informed sources said that the price being discussed is approximately $3.5 billion. The informed sources indicated that any agreement would involve Pokémon and other mobile games, but there is no guarantee that the agreement will definitely be reached. Pokémon games were once popular worldwide, but Niantic has struggled to replicate this huge success. The company carried out layoffs in 2022 and 2023 and canceled some games in development. Its game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was shut down in 2022. (Cailian Press)
The Forefront of AI
South Korea is reportedly going to build the world's largest AI data center
It is reported that South Korea will build the world's largest Artificial Intelligence (AI) data center. The power capacity of this data center will reach 3 gigawatts, and its scale is about three times that of the "Stargate" data center, with a cost of up to 35 billion US dollars. The project is led by the Stock Farm Road investment group, jointly founded by Brian Koo, the grandson of the LG founder, and investor Amin Badr Eldin. (Cailian Press)
The former Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI establishes a new company, dedicated to promoting the development of artificial intelligence
On February 18 local time, the former Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, Mira Murati, announced the establishment of a new company called "Thinking Machines Lab". Murati stated that this is a company founded by scientists, engineers, and builders, and it will focus on: helping people adjust artificial intelligence systems to meet their specific needs; laying a solid foundation for building more capable artificial intelligence systems; cultivating an open science culture to help the entire field understand and improve these systems. The company's goal is to make artificial intelligence more useful and understandable through a solid foundation, open science, and practical applications, thereby promoting the development of artificial intelligence. (Jiemian News)
Google Gemini May Add AI Video Generation Feature
Google has been adding features to its artificial intelligence product, Gemini. Recent code indicates that Google is developing a video generation feature that may be added to Gemini in a future update. The code contained in Google App v16.6.23 implies that Google will add a video generation feature to Gemini. The code shows that "videogen" is mentioned next to "robin", and "robin" is the code name for Gemini in the Google App. (Jiemian News)
Big Company Financial Reports
Tideplay Technology Company "Second Life" Secures Nearly Ten Million US Dollars in Series A Financing
36Kr has learned that the tideplay technology company "Second Life" announced the completion of nearly ten million US dollars in Series A financing. This round is led by Nano Labs, with Daosheng Capital following the investment. The funds will be focused on the three strategic directions of "Everything Can Be Printed" and the algorithm and system iteration of the "3D Data Portal", the construction of a global store network, and the development of the Metaverse Cloud Platform. It is introduced that Second Life is the first technology enterprise in China to achieve a full-link closed loop of "AI Generation - 3D Printing - Everything 3D Cloud Datafication".
"Logan Laser" Secures Tens of Millions of Yuan in Series B Financing
36Kr has learned that "Logan Laser", a solid-state laser manufacturer, recently announced the completion of tens of millions of yuan in Series B financing. The investor is Xingfu Capital, and Qichen Capital serves as the exclusive financial advisor. This round of financing will mainly be used for the construction of a new production line and the research and development of new projects.
The Embodied Physical Base "Zhongke Fifth Era" Completes Seed Round Financing from Zhuoyuan Asia
36Kr has learned that recently, the embodied physical base "Zhongke Fifth Era" has completed the seed round financing from Zhuoyuan Asia. Zhongke Fifth Era gathers the strength of the core teams from Professor Sun Fuchun's Robotics Laboratory at Tsinghua University and the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, two major robotics and multimodal embodied large model teams. It is committed to developing the embodied world physical base and multimodal end-to-end large models to create products such as general intelligent body robots.
Cool Products
The iPhone 17 Pro series may return to aluminum alloy, and the iPhone 17 Air may adopt a titanium alloy frame
According to IT Home, Apple may adjust the body material of the iPhone 17 Pro series, abandon the titanium alloy material, and return to aluminum alloy.
In the investor memo released by GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu this week, supply chain sources said that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models will use aluminum alloy, while the iPhone 17 Air is expected to use a titanium alloy frame. Jeff Pu said that one important consideration for Apple's iPhone 17 Pro series to return to aluminum alloy is environmental protection. The carbon footprint of aluminum alloy is usually lower than that of titanium alloy.
Apple is committed to achieving carbon neutrality for all products and supply chains by 2030. After the Apple Watch and Mac mini, some iPhone 17 models may be promoted as the first batch of carbon-neutral iPhones. And for the ultra-thin design of the iPhone 17 Air, the frame may use a mixed material of titanium alloy and aluminum alloy, and the amount of titanium alloy used is lower than that of the iPhone 15 Pro model. (IT Home)
Samsung Plans to Launch "Mobile HBM" in 2028
It is reported that Song Jae-hyuk, the chief technology officer of Samsung Electronics' Semiconductor and Device Solutions (DS) division, said that the first mobile product equipped with LPW DRAM memory will be launched in 2028. LPW DRAM significantly increases the I/O interface by stacking LPDDR DRAM, which can reduce power consumption and improve performance. It adopts a new packaging technology of vertical wire bonding and is hailed as "Mobile HBM". Its bandwidth can reach more than 200GB/s, which is 166% higher than the existing LPDDR5x. (Caixin)
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