8 o'clock, 1 Krypton News: Chinese e-commerce platforms are creating a download frenzy in the US; Dong Yuhui responds to winning the People's Literature Award; The first humanoid robot finishes a half - marathon.
Top 3 Big News
Chinese E-commerce Platforms Spark a Download Craze in the US
On April 18 local time, according to a report by The New York Post, driven by the Trump administration's additional tariffs on Chinese imported goods and the TikTok short - video craze, Chinese e - commerce platforms DHgate and Taobao have quickly gained popularity among American consumers and both have entered the top five of the free download list on the Apple App Store. The report pointed out that TikTok has become an important driving force for this trend. (CCTV Finance)
Dong Yuhui Responds to Winning the People's Literature Award: The Honor Belongs to Every Writer and Reader
On the morning of April 19th, the awards ceremony of the 2024 People's Literature Award was held in Gulin County, Luzhou, Sichuan. The People's Literature Award is hosted by the "national literary magazine" People's Literature. It is a very important pure literature award in China and has a high reputation in the industry. The award-winning writers and works are the eye - catchers in the Chinese literary circle of the year and can be regarded as the annual literary vane. A total of 12 major categories of awards were presented at the 2024 People's Literature Award, including the Long - form Tribute Award, the Novel Award, the Novella Award, the Prose Award, and the Poetry Award. Dong Yuhui won the newly established "Communication Contribution Award" this year. Unable to come to the scene to receive the award, Dong Yuhui delivered his acceptance speech via video. He said that this honor belongs to "every writer who illuminates the era with words and every reader who warms literature with love." (Cover News)
The First Humanoid Robot Completed a Half Marathon, and Unitree Robotics Responded That It Didn't Participate
The results of the 2025 Beijing Yizhuang Humanoid Robot Half Marathon have been officially announced: "Tianguang Ultra" from Beijing Yizhuang crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds, winning the championship of the world's first humanoid robot half marathon. The Songyan Power N2 Little Rascal Team, with a height of 1.2 meters, won the second place, and the Xingzhe 2 Robot Team from Shanghai won the third place.
Unitree Robotics responded that it did not participate in this half marathon. It also stated that since its G1 humanoid robot has a large shipment volume, several independent teams used Unitree's robots in this marathon, and the performances of these independent teams varied greatly. (IT Home)
Big Companies/Big Events
Samsung Extends Working Hours to 64 Hours per Week
Recently, the South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor approved Samsung Electronics' application for special working hours for its semiconductor system division. It allows the R & D personnel to work up to 64 hours per week (i.e., five days a week, 12.8 hours a day) in the next three months, and then adjust to 60 hours per week in the following three months.
Previously, South Korean law stipulated that the maximum working hours per week should not exceed 52 hours. Currently, South Korea has revised the Labor Standards Act. According to the new regulations, high - tech companies certified by the government as "semiconductor R & D enterprises" can apply to extend the overtime limit. Samsung submitted materials such as the certificate of a "semiconductor R & D enterprise" certified by the government, and the approval process was quickly completed.
Notably, the new policy also extends the validity period of overtime approval for semiconductor enterprises to one year. Industry sources said that chip manufacturers such as SK Hynix are also preparing similar applications. The South Korean government said that this move is to enhance the international competitiveness of the domestic semiconductor industry, but it has raised concerns among labor groups about overwork. (Xiaoxiang Morning News)
Tariff policies combined with negative factors hit the US tourism industry, with the number of tourists to the US plummeting by 12% in March
The number of foreign tourists visiting the US in March decreased by nearly 12% year-on-year, the largest decline since the COVID-19 pandemic. Citing data from the International Trade Administration under the US Department of Commerce, The Washington Post reported that the number of tourists from Central America to the US in March decreased by 24% year-on-year, and the number of tourists from Western European countries decreased by 17% year-on-year. Among them, the number of German tourists decreased by 28% and that of Spanish tourists decreased by 25%. The above data does not include Canada, the largest source country of international tourists to the US. According to preliminary statistics from the Canadian government, as of March, the number of Canadian citizens visiting the US by car decreased by nearly 32% year-on-year. The number of people returning to Canada by plane from the US decreased by 13.5%. The US Travel Association predicts that the revenue of the US tourism industry may decrease by $72 billion in 2025, and industries such as hotels, airlines, and catering will face a chain reaction. In addition, Goldman Sachs Group predicts that in the worst-case scenario, the simultaneous decline in inbound tourists and consumption may cause a 0.3% loss to the US GDP this year, equivalent to approximately $900 billion. (CCTV News)
Jensen Huang has concluded his visit to China. People familiar with the matter said he didn't meet with DeepSeek during the whole trip.
On April 19, Yicai Global learned that Jensen Huang, the CEO of NVIDIA, has ended his visit to China. Regarding whether Jensen Huang met with Liang Wenfeng, the founder of DeepSeek, which has attracted high attention from the outside world, reporters confirmed from people who know the details of Jensen Huang's visit to China that Huang didn't meet with DeepSeek during the whole trip. (Yicai Global)
Volvo to lay off up to 800 employees in the US to cope with the impact of tariffs
A spokesman for the Volvo Group said on April 18 local time that affected by the US tariff policy, the Volvo Group plans to lay off up to 800 employees at three US factories in the next three months. Volvo Group North America said in a statement that the company has informed its employees of the plan to lay off 550 to 800 employees at factories in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. (Jiemian News)
Baidu: 21,000 internship positions to be opened to campus students in the next three years
On April 19th, Baidu Recruitment officially announced that in the next three years, Baidu will open 21,000 internship positions to outstanding campus talents, continuously strengthen the cultivation of interns, and further improve the conversion rate of interns to full - time employees. In March this year, Baidu had opened more than 3,000 summer internship positions to current students, 87% of which were related to AI, covering fields such as large models, machine learning, and unmanned driving. In addition, Baidu will also launch the Management Trainee Program and the AIDU Program this year to recruit top campus talents in the AI field.
Meituan Refutes Rumor that "Riders Will Be Permanently Banned by Meituan for Running Orders on Other Platforms"
Meituan announced that recently, multiple chat screenshots containing content such as "Meituan blocks riders from running orders on a certain platform" and "Don't run orders on a certain platform. If caught, you'll be permanently banned" have been widely spread on social platforms. Here, Meituan solemnly declares that the relevant content is purely fabricated and all rumors. Meituan recruits high - quality riders across the industry and will not illegally restrict the entry and exit of any rider, let alone permanently ban riders for this reason. Regarding the above rumor screenshots, the company has fixed the evidence. It will also safeguard its own rights through legal means against the accounts that spread the above rumors without verification and the masterminds behind them. (Jiemian News)
Multiple luxury brands plan to raise prices in the US
US President Trump's new tariff policy is triggering price hikes in the luxury goods industry. French luxury brand Hermès said on the 17th that it will pass on the tariff burden in the US to American consumers to offset the impact of tariffs. Previously, another French luxury giant, LVMH Group, also said in an earnings conference that it will consider raising prices to cope with US tariffs. The luxury goods industry relies on the global supply chain and market demand, and now faces numerous obstacles brought about by the US's capricious trade policies. (CCTV.com)
Tesla Executives Condemn Third - Party Accessories: Extremely Irresponsible, Strongly Recommend Stopping Sales
Tao Lin, the global vice - president of Tesla, posted on Weibo that currently, some third - party stores online are selling so - called "seat belt extension joints" and "steering wheel weights" in an attempt to "deceive" the vehicle's safety settings. This is not only non - compliant but also threatens the safety of users and poses a huge risk to other road users.
"We strongly recommend that merchants stop selling such products that are extremely irresponsible for road safety. We also hope that everyone, out of respect for life, will no longer use them. Although the vehicle's assisted - driving capabilities have become increasingly powerful, the driver remains the primary responsible person for driving safety. Nothing is more precious than life," said Tao Lin. (Sina Tech)
Travel bookings for the May Day holiday reach a peak: Hotel search popularity doubles, and the "take 4 days off for 11 days" strategy boosts long - haul travel
With the release of May Day train tickets, travel bookings for the May Day holiday have reached a peak. Recently, data released by multiple online travel platforms show that the consumption vitality of the tourism market will continue to be unleashed during the May Day holiday. According to Ctrip data, the search popularity of domestic hotels has skyrocketed by 100% week - on - week in the past week, and the search popularity of air tickets has soared by 80%. Among them, driven by the "take 4 days off for 11 days" strategy, the proportion of cross - city accommodation orders has exceeded 80%. The consumption of high - star hotels in county - level markets has surpassed that in first - tier cities, and the number of inbound tourism orders has surged by 173% year - on - year. The whole nation has started a "new way to play the holiday economy". (The Paper)
Nintendo Switch 2 will start accepting retail pre - orders in the United States on April 24th, with the original price remaining unchanged.
On April 18th, Nintendo stated that retail pre - orders for the Switch 2 in the United States will begin on April 24th, and the price will remain at $449.99, which was announced on April 2nd. Nintendo also said that due to changes in market conditions, the prices of Switch 2 accessories will be adjusted based on the prices announced on April 2nd. Meanwhile, the prices of other Nintendo products may also be adjusted according to market conditions in the future. (Jiemian News)
Multiple mobile phone manufacturers announce support for posting Live Photos on Moments
As early as last September, the iOS version of WeChat was the first to launch the function of posting Live Photos on Moments, while the Android version of WeChat was slow to roll out this feature. However, in recent days, several domestic mobile phone manufacturers have successively announced that some of their models will support posting Live Photos on Moments. Android users no longer have to envy iPhone users. It is understood that the brands that have officially announced this support include vivo, Honor, OPPO, and OnePlus.
In addition, although Xiaomi has not officially announced specific models, some Xiaomi phone users have reported that they have received the gray - scale roll - out of the function and can post Live Photos on Moments. Wang Le, the director of Xiaomi's application software department, also said that recently, as WeChat gradually expands the gray - scale roll - out, Xiaomi models are also being gradually covered. Please upgrade your system to the latest version and WeChat to version 8.0.57 or above, and wait for the WeChat gray - scale roll - out. (Kuaikeji)
ChatGPT Addressing Users by Name Sparks Controversy
Recently, some ChatGPT users have noticed a phenomenon: This artificial intelligence chatbot directly addresses users by their names when interacting with them and conducting logical reasoning. This behavior was not the default setting of the tool before. What's even more puzzling is that some users claim that even if they have never revealed their names to ChatGPT, the chatbot still addresses them by their names.
This sudden "intimate" move has triggered complex and mostly negative reactions among users. Simon Willison, a software developer and AI enthusiast, thinks this feature is "creepy and unnecessary." Another developer, Nick Dobos, straightforwardly says he "hates this practice." A rough search on social platform X shows that a large number of users are confused and vigilant about ChatGPT's behavior of addressing them by their names. One user wrote, "It feels like a teacher keeps calling my name. Haha, I don't like it."
It's currently unclear exactly when this change occurred, nor can it be confirmed whether it's related to the recently upgraded "memory" function of ChatGPT, which allows the chatbot to use past conversation records to personalize its responses. However, some users on platform X say that even after they have disabled the memory function and related personalization settings, ChatGPT still addresses them by their names. OpenAI, the development company of ChatGPT, has not responded to this phenomenon yet. (IT Home)
2025 China Internet Entrepreneurs Symposium Held in Beijing
36Kr learned that, according to the China Internet Association, in order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the 2025 National Two Sessions and the Symposium on Private Enterprises and support the innovation and high - quality development of the Internet industry, the China Internet Association held the 2025 China Internet Entrepreneurs Symposium in Beijing on April 20. Zhang Yunming, a member of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. The symposium was chaired by Shang Bing, the President of the China Internet Association.
Malaysia Airlines Considers Buying Aircraft from Comac
According to a report by the Russian Sputnik website on April 20, Malaysia Airlines is considering purchasing domestically - produced Chinese aircraft. Three commercial models of Comac, the C909, C919, and C929, are all within the scope of evaluation. A relevant person in charge of the Malaysia Airlines Group told the media on the 18th that the company is formulating a fleet expansion plan for the next few years and is closely evaluating the purchase of aircraft from Comac. The teams of both sides have had multiple rounds of communication. The report said that when asked which of the C909, C919, and C929 models the company is more interested in, the person in charge said that all are under consideration. "Our operations at Subang International Airport are very suitable for Comac's small - sized aircraft." (Jiemian News)
QQ Music Adjusts the Daily Number of Devices Allowed to Play Member Songs
On April 20th, the official of Tencent QQ Music issued an announcement, stating that, at the request of the copyright holders, starting from today, it will adjust the daily cumulative number of devices allowed to play member songs (including those in the music package, the Deluxe Green Diamond membership song library, and the Super Membership song library) under the same account. The details are as follows: For the music package, within a day (from 0:00 to 24:00 Beijing Time), the number of device terminals under the same account that can play member songs is 1; for Deluxe Green Diamond members, within a day (from 0:00 to 24:00 Beijing Time), the number of device terminals under the same account that can play member songs is 3; for Super Members, within a day (from 0:00 to 24:00 Beijing Time), the number of device terminals under the same account that can play member songs is 5.
The terminal devices that can play member songs under the same account every day are not required to be the same as those of the previous day. Users can make adjustments through [My] - [Settings icon in the upper - right corner] - [Settings] - [Device Management]. The playback of free songs, purchased single songs, and digital albums is not affected by this adjustment. (IT Home)
The Cutting - Edge of AI
Tiangong Team: Humanoid robots are about to go into mass production, and their future price will be similar to that of a sedan car
"The Tiangong 2.0 robot is about to be launched, achieving small-batch mass production and application." On the 19th, Tang Jian, CTO of Tiangong Team and Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, stated that with the large-scale implementation of humanoid robots in the future, their prices will approximate those of entry-level sedan vehicles. (China News Service)
Cool Products
Horizon Robotics Announces the Launch of L2 Urban Assisted Driving System "Horizon HSD"
On the evening of April 18th, Horizon Robotics announced the launch of its L2 urban assisted driving system, Horizon HSD. Meanwhile, it reached its first mass - production cooperation on HSD with Chery. Horizon HSD will serve as an advanced solution for Chery's "Falcon" and will make its global debut on the Exeed brand together with the Journey 6P computing solution. It is scheduled to enter mass production in September 2025. To date, Horizon Robotics has achieved over 8 million units of pre - installed mass - produced shipments, with more than 200 mass - produced and launched vehicle models and over 310 mass - production designated vehicle models.
Huawei to Launch Megawatt-level Ultra-fast Charging Products
Huawei will hold the 2025 Huawei Intelligent Electric & Intelligent Charging Network Strategy and New Product Launch Conference on April 22. It is understood that at the conference, Huawei will launch megawatt-level ultra-fast charging products. According to Huawei's previous preview, the megawatt-level charging product has a maximum charging current of 2,400 amperes and a maximum power of 1.5 megawatts. It can supply 20 kWh of electricity per minute and fully charge an electric heavy truck (with a battery capacity of about 300 kWh) in 15 minutes. (Cailian Press)
A Small Survey on the "Game Rooms" of Young People in 2025
Friend, do you play games? Is there a special area in your home dedicated to gaming, whether it's in the bedroom, study, or living room? For this generation of young people who grew up with games, the first thing they do after getting a free and independent space is to decorate their own "game room". The ergonomic chair is not for office work, but for e - sports; the TV is not just for watching, but for connecting to a game console for an exciting gaming experience... Have you ever thought about transforming your living room into a cyber - punk battlefield surrounded by RGB light strips? Do you want to set up a personal display shelf filled with collectibles for yourself? Create a special themed world with IP co - branded items and peripherals?
Welcome to participate in the small survey on "game rooms". Tell us your preferences for decorating a game room. Or, if you just want to simply show off your proud e - sports area, send us the photos!
Scan the QR code to participate in the survey