8:00 am, Yike Shijian | Gan Wei revealed that she divorced Jia Yueting due to a "widowed marriage"; A Japanese catering company apologized for refusing to serve Chinese customers; Lei Jun restricted comments on his Weibo: Users need to follow him for over 100 days.
Top 3 Big News
Gan Wei Reveals Divorce from Jia Yueting Due to "Widowed Marriage"
On May 14th, Gan Wei announced her divorce from Jia Yueting. She stated the reason for their separation was prolonged unilateral commitment in the relationship with minimal reciprocity, while refuting allegations of asset transfers and the claim that Jia Yueting had provided her with 4 billion yuan. The couple married in 2008 and subsequently had two daughters and a son. Gan Wei expressed, "I've spent over a decade with Mr. Jia. I cherish our shared journey and respect our respective decisions. Moving forward, I will continue my path as a mother, producer, and public welfare advocate. My three children are the light of my life. My upcoming production 'Peach Branch Bubble' is currently in development, through which I hope to convey empowering narratives." (The Paper)
Japanese catering company apologizes for refusing to serve Chinese customers
According to Japanese media reports, "Yakitori HAYASHIN", a store under the Japanese Osaka catering chain group SASAYA, was recently exposed for posting a Chinese notice saying "Chinese customers are not allowed to enter this store". The relevant pictures and videos have sparked heated discussions on social platforms. On May 12, the SASAYA Group issued a bilingual statement in Chinese and English to apologize, stating that the notice was posted without authorization by the store's operation manager and has been removed immediately. The statement emphasized that the company has always adhered to the business policy of providing equal services to all customers, including foreigners, and this will not change in the future. Currently, the official website has deleted the information of the involved store. It is reported that this restaurant, which mainly serves grilled chicken skewers, has been criticized by public opinions at home and abroad in Japan for setting a ban on customers of a specific nationality. The company said it will seriously deal with the responsible person involved and strengthen store management to prevent similar incidents from happening again. (Global Times)
Lei Jun Restricts Weibo Comments: Followers Must Have Followed for Over 100 Days
On May 14th, according to Sina Tech, Lei Jun, the founder of Xiaomi Group, recently changed his Weibo settings. Now, only followers who have followed him for over 100 days are allowed to comment. Currently, Lei Jun's latest Weibo post, published on the morning of May 13th, reads, "Checked in at the gym, the 43rd time in 2025." After this Weibo topic emerged, it sparked extensive discussions among netizens and trended on Weibo.
That afternoon, Wang Hua posted a response to the incident of Lei Jun's Weibo comment trending. He said, "This trending topic is a bit of an overreaction. Mr. Lei has set the rule that followers must have followed for 100 days to comment for quite some time. It's mainly to prevent trolls. I also set the rule that followers must have followed for 7 days to comment a long time ago. This kind of Weibo setting mechanism is quite good. No one wants their comment section to be flooded with trolls, and there are even those who pose as fans, bringing a bad experience to real fans. Do you agree? (Sina Tech, Caijing.com Tech)"
Large Companies/ Major Events
Microsoft to Lay Off 6,000 Employees Company-wide
The U.S. technology giant Microsoft has recently announced that it will lay off 6,000 employees company-wide to streamline its management hierarchy.
A Microsoft spokesperson told the media that the planned job cuts, which account for less than 3% of the company's total workforce, will cover employees at various levels in multiple regions, including those in its professional networking site LinkedIn division. The spokesperson explained, "We will continue to implement necessary organizational adjustments to ensure the company's successful positioning in a volatile market environment." The spokesperson added that the new layoffs are not performance-related. As of June 2024, Microsoft had a total of 228,000 employees globally. The Microsoft spokesperson pointed out that one of the goals of this round of layoffs is to reduce the management hierarchy. In January this year, Amazon also announced that it would cut some jobs after noticing "unnecessary layers" in its corporate organization. (Cailian Press)
Controlling iPhone with Thoughts May Come True
On May 13th local time, according to media reports, Apple is conducting in - depth research on brain - computer interface technology. It is collaborating with the startup Synchron to explore the possibility of controlling devices such as iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro through brain signals. This cutting - edge technology is expected to bring a brand - new interaction mode for paralyzed patients and those with limited mobility. (Jiemian News)
Burberry's Profits Plunge by 90%, Plans to Cut 1,700 Jobs Globally
On May 14, British luxury brand Burberry announced an organizational restructuring. The proposed reform measures are expected to save an additional £60 million before the fiscal year 2027. Burberry said that around 1,700 jobs globally may be affected during the implementation of this plan.
On the same day, Burberry released its financial data for the fiscal year 2025, stating that the company's revenue during the period was £2.461 billion, a 17% year - on - year decrease; the adjusted operating profit was £26 million, a 94% year - on - year decrease. (Jiemian News)
Longines Responds to Netizen's Complaint of Missing Watch Dial after Purchase
Recently, a netizen from Hunan posted a "warning" post on a social media platform, saying "Avoid Longines". The netizen claimed that in 2023, they spent 11,500 yuan to buy a Longines "Conquest V.H.P." metal watch at a physical store in Harbour City, Hong Kong. The dial of the metal watch is missing, and there is a Longines steel stamp logo on the part of the watch strap that fixes the dial. In response to this situation, on May 13th, a reporter from Xiaoxiang Morning News called the official customer service hotline of Longines in China. The customer service representative said, "We haven't encountered a similar problem." Regarding the situation where the netizen's watch dial is completely missing, the customer service suggested, "The detached parts can be sent to the maintenance service center for communication and handling." When asked about the problem that the way the dial of the Longines "Conquest V.H.P." watch is fixed may have a defect, as reported by the netizen, the customer service representative said, "There is currently no relevant information." (Xiaoxiang Morning News)
Is Manus' parent company planning to raise $100 million? Official response: False
It is reported that Butterfly Effect, the company behind the intelligent agent product Manus, is planning a new round of financing, with an expected financing scale of $100 million and a valuation of $1.5 billion. State-owned capital will participate in this round of financing, and the funds raised will be mainly used to develop business in the Chinese market. In response, Butterfly Effect stated, "Recently, the news that 'Manus' parent company plans to conduct financing at a valuation of $1.5 billion with a scale of $100 million' is false. The team is currently focusing on the product." (Sina Tech)
Che Jianxing, Director and General Manager of Macalline, Under Investigation and Detained
Macalline announced in the evening of May 13th that the company had received a notice from the family of Che Jianxing, a director of the company. Recently, they received a phone call from the Yunnan Provincial Supervisory Commission, informing that Che Jianxing was under investigation and detained. As of the date of this announcement, other directors, supervisors and senior management of the company are all performing their duties normally. The company's organizational structure and internal control mechanism are sound, and the company's board of directors is operating normally. The company's control rights have not changed. Meanwhile, to ensure the smooth progress of the company's daily operations, Li Yupeng, the company's chairman, will perform all the duties of the general manager during this period. The company's daily operations are normal, and the above - mentioned matters will not have a significant impact on the company's daily business activities. (Cailian Press)
Jensen Huang's Compensation Approaches $50 Million
Documents filed by NVIDIA on May 13 local time showed that Jensen Huang, the co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA, saw his compensation soar by 46% in fiscal year 2025, rising from $34.2 million in the previous fiscal year to nearly $50 million, mainly due to a significant increase in the value of stock awards. His salary also increased from $996,514 the previous year to nearly $1.5 million. (Cailian Press)
Two vehicle control failures have occurred in the Geely Galaxy App recently. The official announcement states that system maintenance will be carried out.
On May 13th, many car owners reported that the Geely Galaxy App had service issues, resulting in the inoperability of functions such as remote vehicle control and account login, which attracted attention. This is the second abnormal situation of vehicle control in the Geely Galaxy App recently. It is worth noting that both incidents occurred shortly after the system maintenance of the Geely Galaxy App. On April 14th, Geely Galaxy officially issued an announcement saying, "In order to provide you with better services and experiences, we will conduct system maintenance on the Geely Galaxy App." (Jiemian News)
New iPhones see significant price cuts, with a maximum reduction of 2,500 yuan
According to reports from multiple media outlets, Apple has issued a price adjustment notice to channel partners. All capacity versions of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max have seen price cuts of over 1,000 yuan. Some channel partners believe that Apple's price adjustment this time is in preparation for the upcoming "618" shopping festival. Recently, the promotion information announced by the official Tmall Apple Store flagship store shows that starting at 8 p.m. on May 16th, after stacking national subsidies and various discounts, the final price of the 128GB iPhone 16 Pro is 5,499 yuan, a reduction of 2,500 yuan from the original price of 7,999 yuan. (21st Century Business Herald)
Sony: U.S. Tariffs to Impact the Company by $700 Million
Sony Group Corporation has given a disappointing forecast for the coming year. The burden of U.S. tariffs has dashed its expectations for operating profit growth. The entertainment - focused company said on Wednesday that it expects U.S. tariffs to have an impact of 100 billion yen ($700 million) in the fiscal year ending in March 2025, and it anticipates an operating profit of 1.28 trillion yen. Even without considering the tariff factor, Sony's forecast is lower than the analysts' average expectation of 1.5 trillion yen, remaining basically flat compared with the fiscal year ending in March 2025. (Sina Finance)
Hao Shan, Co - Animation Director of Nezha: Rebirth of the Demon, Joins Alibaba Big Entertainment and Establishes Chaoran Qile Studio
36Kr learned that on May 14th, Hao Shan, an animation director who has participated in many well - known domestic and international film and television works such as Nezha: Rebirth of the Demon, Monster Hunt, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, and Onmyoji, officially joined Alibaba Big Entertainment and established the Chaoran Qile Director Studio. It is understood that as the first animation director studio of Alibaba Big Entertainment, the Chaoran Qile Studio will focus on the development of original animation content in the future, aiming to create a series of high - quality animation works with original stories and worldviews. Currently, 1 - 2 original IPs of the Chaoran Qile Studio have entered the incubation process.
JD Food Delivery: System Glitch Fully Resolved
36Kr learned that on the afternoon of May 14th, JD Food Delivery issued a statement saying that during lunchtime today, due to a sharp surge in orders for the JD 618 event, the system experienced a brief glitch, which has now been fully resolved. To express apologies and gratitude for everyone's understanding and support, during the system glitch period, users whose orders were delivered more than 20 minutes late will receive a free order. For users whose orders were delivered less than 20 minutes late, a 20-yuan discount coupon for orders over 25 yuan will be given. For users whose orders were cancelled because they were not delivered within 20 minutes after the due time, a 20-yuan discount coupon for orders over 25 yuan will also be given. The platform will complete the compensation within 24 hours, ensuring that riders will not be held responsible for system issues and that merchants' interests will not be affected.
WeChat Establishes E-commerce Product Department to Explore New In-app Transaction Models
Tencent issued an internal letter to all employees today regarding the adjustment of the WXG business group. The main points include: establishing an e-commerce product department to explore in-app transaction models on WeChat, accelerating the development of transaction infrastructure and ecosystems, and operating new WeChat transaction models; renaming the Open Platform Basic Department to the Open Platform Department, which will be responsible for the planning, R & D, and operation of WeChat official accounts and mini-programs. (Sina Tech)
US Considers Allowing UAE to Buy Over One Million Advanced NVIDIA Chips
According to people familiar with the matter, the Trump administration is considering an agreement that would allow the UAE to import more than 1 million advanced NVIDIA chips, a quantity far exceeding the limits set by the Biden-era regulations on artificial intelligence chips. The people said the agreement is still under negotiation and could change. From now until 2027, the UAE could import 500,000 of the most advanced chips on the market each year. One-fifth of them would be reserved for Abu Dhabi artificial intelligence firm G42, and the rest would go to US companies building data centers in the UAE. (Caixin)
Visa - free Country +1: The Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption between China and Uzbekistan is about to Take Effect
According to the Consular Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the "Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Mutual Visa Exemption" will come into force on June 1, 2025. According to the agreement, holders of valid Chinese official, service and ordinary passports and holders of Uzbekistani ordinary passports are exempt from visa requirements when entering, exiting or transiting through the territory of the other contracting party, provided that the single - stay period does not exceed 30 days and the cumulative stay period within every 180 days does not exceed 90 days. (CCTV News)
Ford to Recall Over 270,000 Vehicles in the US Due to Brake Failure Issue
On May 14th, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States stated that Ford will recall 273,789 vehicles in the US because brake failure may increase the risk of car accidents. The NHTSA added that this recall involves some 2022 - 2024 model year Navigator and Expedition vehicles. (Jiemian News)
Pony.ai Responds to Plans for Hong Kong Listing: No Comment
On May 14th, it was reported that Pony.ai is planning to secretly submit an application for listing in Hong Kong. Pony.ai told Jiemian News that it has no comment on this news.
In March this year, market rumors also suggested that Pony.ai was considering a secondary listing in Hong Kong, and it was still in the initial discussion stage at that time. (Jiemian News)
Ferrari CEO Says Cars Aren't for Watching TV
Recently, at an investment conference, Ferrari's CEO was asked why he was reluctant to install too many screens in Ferrari cars. He said that having a background in the semiconductor industry, he clearly understood what was useful for users and what was useful for suppliers in a car.
He stated that Ferrari is built for driving. "It's not a sofa, not a mobile phone, and certainly not a data center." (Jiemian News)
The Cutting - Edge of AI
Alibaba Open-Sources Tongyi Wanxiang Wan2.1-VACE, a Video Generation and Editing Model
Alibaba has officially open-sourced Tongyi Wanxiang Wan2.1-VACE, a model that supports video generation and editing. A single model can simultaneously support a full range of basic generation and editing capabilities, such as text-to-video generation, image-referenced video generation, video redrawing, video local editing, video background extension, and video duration extension. According to a reporter from Star Market Daily, two versions, 1.3B and 14B, have been open-sourced this time. The 1.3B version can run on consumer-grade graphics cards. (Jiemian News)
Xiaomi Applies for Trademark of Inference Large Model MiMo
According to Tianyancha App, as reported by Titanium Media App on May 14th, recently, Xiaomi Technology Co., Ltd. has applied to register multiple "XIAOMI MIMO" trademarks. The international classifications include transportation tools, scientific instruments, communication services, etc. Currently, all the trademarks are in the status of waiting for substantive examination. Public information shows that Xiaomi MiMo is Xiaomi's first inference large model, which links pre - training to post - training to comprehensively improve inference ability. It was open - sourced on April 30th, 2025. (Titanium Media)
KeLing 2.0 Model Succeeds KeLing 1.6 and Tops the Global Video Generation Large Model Ranking
36Kr learned that recently, Artificial Analysis, a globally renowned AI benchmark testing institution, released the latest global video generation large model ranking. Kuaishou's KeLing 2.0 model ranked first in the Image to Video track with a score of 1124 in the Arena ELO benchmark test, surpassing the previously leading KeLing 1.6 (Pro) model. This is also the third consecutive month that Kuaishou's KeLing model has topped the ranking. Since its release in June last year, the global user base of KeLing AI has exceeded 22 million, with its monthly active user count increasing by 25 times. It has cumulatively generated more than 168 million videos and 344 million images.
Financial Reports of Large Companies
Hon Hai: Q1 Revenue Reached NT$1.64 Trillion
36Kr learned that Hon Hai released its Q1 financial report. Its Q1 revenue was NT$1.64 trillion, with an estimated NT$1.65 trillion; the net profit was NT$42.11 billion, with an estimated NT$35.52 billion.
Tencent: International gaming revenue in Q1 increased by 23% year-on-year, hitting a record high for three consecutive quarters
36Kr learned that Tencent released its financial report for the first quarter of 2025. The report shows that in the first quarter, thanks to the excellent performance of "PUBG MOBILE" and Supercell games, the international gaming revenue increased by 23% year-on-year to 16.6 billion yuan, hitting a record high for three consecutive quarters. Recently, at the national level, domestic game manufacturers have been actively encouraged to develop high-quality games and "go global". According to the "Work Plan for Accelerating the Comprehensive Pilot Program of Expanding the Opening-up of the Service Industry" approved by the State Council, it is mentioned that the game export business should be developed, and the industrial chain from IP creation to game production, distribution, and overseas operation should be laid out. Tencent's domestic gaming revenue reached 42.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24% compared with the low base of the same period last year, thanks to the revenue growth of "Honor of Kings" and "Peacekeeper Elite", as well as the revenue contribution of the recently launched "Dungeon & Fighter: Origins" and "Delta Squad".
Cool Products
Apple Reportedly Plans to Add Eye-Tracking Scrolling Feature to Vision Pro Headset
Apple is developing a new feature for the Vision Pro headset that allows users to scroll through content using their eyes, aiming to further enhance the device's interactive experience. According to people familiar with the matter, this eye-scrolling feature is being tested in visionOS 3, the latest version of the upcoming operating system for the Vision Pro headset. The people said that Apple hopes to take the system a step further by leveraging the existing eye-tracking hardware and software of the Vision Pro. Apple plans to unveil the new Vision Pro operating system at its annual developers' conference starting on June 9.
Haibo Energy Technology Launches Energy Storage Power Station Operation and Maintenance Assistant "HyperGenie"
36Kr learned that Haibo Energy Technology has launched the super operation and maintenance assistant "HyperGenie" to improve efficiency and reduce costs in the operation and maintenance of energy storage power stations. It is reported that "HyperGenie" is a dedicated intelligent agent designed and developed based on a domestic open - source general large - model and a private knowledge base in the energy storage field. It can provide operation and maintenance assistance services such as accurate fault location, multi - scenario operation guidance, and flexible data analysis and exploration, improve the refined level of equipment management, and ensure the continuous and efficient operation of power station equipment.
Compiled | Yang Leduo