Note: The article was written by Yimie and translated by Zinan.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Yimie Yong, Reporter at TNGlobal. Yimie is a reporter who focuses on EV, AI, FinTech, and InsurTech.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

This year, the most impressive company for me is OpenAI. ChatGPT is the most eye-catching product of the year, sparking a trend in AI. This generative AI has influenced various fields, including creativity, design, media, etc. Tech giants in China and the U.S. are competing to develop and launch similar products.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

TikTok Shop being shut down in Indonesia by the government was unexpected. The Indonesian government believed that TikTok Shop’s business model would impact the livelihood of local small businesses, leading to the shutdown order. Later, TikTok announced a $1.5 billion investment in the Indonesian e-commerce platform Tokopedia. The developments of these two companies will continue to be watched closely.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Sam Altman, the creator of ChatGPT. After being removed from the CEO position, Microsoft announced his hiring along with co-founder Greg Brockman. In a surprising turn of events, with the support of core employees and investors, Altman and Brockman returned to the company, highlighting their influence and status.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

Sam Altman, the creator of ChatGPT, was unexpectedly removed from the CEO position by the OpenAI board. Later, Microsoft announced his inclusion, and he returned to OpenAI in a strong comeback.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

NVIDIA’s collaboration with Malaysia’s YTL Group to build a $4.3 billion AI data center in Malaysia. The development of NVIDIA in Malaysia is anticipated, and there are hopes that it will drive the growth of AI in the country. Due to the popularity of ChatGPT, AI has become a focal point, making NVIDIA the best-performing listed company on the S&P 500 index last year. The founder, Jensen Huang, created a buzz with his whirlwind tour of Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam, at the end of last year.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Artificial Intelligence (AI), ChatGPT.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

AI field: Rapid advancement, intense competition. With the significant success of ChatGPT, major tech giants and startups are competing to launch AI-related products, leading to a rapid advancement of AI.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

I’m very excited about the developments in the Electric Vehicle (EV) sector. Huawei and Xiaomi have recently launched their EV models, and I’m eager to see the impact and changes they will bring to the overall EV industry. Additionally, the Chinese EV brands BYD and NIO have surpassed Tesla in global sales, and I’m looking forward to the plans and developments of BYD, especially its introduction of products in Indonesia in January.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

I believe AI may affect some jobs, but currently rather than replacing people’s jobs, I tend to believe that AI is helping people enhance efficiency and solve problems such as quick data collection. Furthermore, I have confidence that humans will find ways to control or balance the threats posed by AI and use AI more effectively to enhance efficiency and solve various problems.

Note: The article was written by Angelo.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Angelo, Editor at TNGlobal. Angelo is an editor who focuses on SEA Tech News.

1. Which technology has impressed you the most in 2023?

Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence is the hottest topic in recent years, and OpenAI has been at the forefront of this industry. It’s not necessarily for its advancements in technology, because other companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, etc., have also been building upon their own capabilities. Many of these are under-the-radar, but OpenAI accelerated the time-to-market for AI-driven products, for better or worse. More importantly, the management “drama” that unfolded toward the end of 2023 highlighted the importance of governance and accountability in this emerging technology, especially given its potential impact on humanity.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

Frankly, Microsoft is the single company that has surprised me this year. While many would view Microsoft as a bland company that now lacks the sexiness and edge that other giants like Apple and Google have, it does have significant investments in products and technologies that can potentially be gamechangers, particularly AI. It is also making significant inroads into community-driven technologies such as open-source projects, which is one of the things I am deeply interested in.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

OpenAI’s Sam Altman made an impression on me not only because of AI, but rather because of his interest in survivalism and prepping. Altman reportedly has a bunker in New Zealand, same as many other billionaires who can afford the infrastructure, supplies, personnel, and training involved in prepping for disasters in the long-haul. I am mostly interested in prepping for more localized ones, such as those brought about by natural hazards (e.g., earthquakes, storms, etc.). But given Altman’s involvement in AI, does he know something we don’t? Will AI eventually lead to humanity’s ruin?

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

I am particularly interested in exploring the unknown and pushing human capabilities and technologies to the extremes. For this reason, I have two events from 2023 that are quite memorable to me. One is India’s successful Chandrayaan-3 mission to the moon, which is perhaps one of the factors that will rekindle renewed interest in moon missions and exploration, not to mention the other activities by NASA, SpaceX, CNSA, ESA, and other organizations in advancing space-exploration technologies.

Another is the OceanGate disaster, which involves another area of exploration–the deep oceans. With its loss of its Titan and crew, it also underscores the importance of establishing a balance between achieving innovations and developing standards for safety.

We’ve achieved so much in these areas in the past century alone. I’m excited for what we can achieve in the 21st century onwards.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

There’s always talk about how electric vehicles will enhance the sustainability of our transportation systems. For me, however, what’s more interesting is the deep technology behind these industries, particularly alternative power sources. Electric vehicles may simply be shifting the carbon footprint from fossil fuels to other sources of energy. But what about new breakthroughs that can potentially be cleaner and safer, such as the use of hydrogen and other materials? And this might not only be for terrestrial travel. How about propulsion or space-going vessels?

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

AI, of course, and its related buzzwords, had been the most popular in 2023. Other contenders would be “The Great Resignation” in the context of work-from-home and return-to-office trends, as well as “Open Source Intelligence” in the context of data management.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

“Anxious but excited,” is the phrase that best summarizes my view especially in tech-driven industries across the globe. On one hand, we are having significant advancements in artificial intelligence, which means we can come at innovations and efficiencies at a scale previously not achievable. However, this also means potential disruption to a lot of industries. Some might get left behind if we are not able to get ahead of the wave.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

We have been exploring space for decades. With recent advancements in reusable materials and propulsion technologies, we might just achieve significant developments in the next years to come that will make space travel more accessible and viable than ever.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

I think humanity poses a threat to humanity. AI will just be something that accelerates it if left unchecked. We therefore need better governance mechanisms that will ensure AI is not utilized for harmful applications and that AI itself will not have the means to do such on its own.

Note: The article was written by icebin and translated by Zinan Zhang.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from icebin, reporter at TechNode. icebin is a tech reporter based in Shanghai who focuses on Sustainability, EV, VR/AR, IoT, and New Material.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

It’s BYD. This company has transitioned from one era to another. After years of dedicated efforts, BYD has become a leader in China’s EV market, with 1557 patent applications making it the company with the highest number of pure EV-related patent applications among the top four EV manufacturers in China. Leveraging their accumulated technology and patents in the battery field, coupled with the expansion of product categories, they achieved a remarkable annual sales figure of 3,024,417 vehicles, a year-on-year growth of 61.9%. With this impressive data, BYD not only fulfilled its goal of selling 3 million vehicles set at the beginning of the year but also secured the top spot in China’s annual automotive sales, claiming the global crown in new energy vehicle sales. The 3 million mark also set a new record for annual car sales in China.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

The most surprising company for me is Huawei. Before the launch of the Apple 15 series, Huawei preemptively released and sold the new Mate 60 series, especially considering the chip restrictions. Additionally, Huawei has made a strong product layout in the automotive market, exerting significant competitive pressure on other car manufacturers.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

The entrepreneur who has left a deep impression on me is Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. The products he has led have ushered in a new era of AI. The revolutionary AI chatbot, ChatGPT, introduced by OpenAI, connects extensive corpora to train the model, achieving conversations in chat scenarios almost similar to real human interaction. In the future, as intelligent applications in areas such as customer service, education, healthcare, and search engines continue to be implemented, ChatGPT, integrated with various industry applications, is set to witness the establishment of more paid business models.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

The overseas event that left the deepest impression on me this year is the continuous surge in NVIDIA’s stock price. This also signifies the industry’s recognition of its key role in AI sector. In the AI frenzy, NVIDIA has emerged as the biggest winner, surpassing a trillion-dollar market cap. The sudden popularity of ChatGPT has triggered a global AI race between major tech companies and startups, all eager to acquire NVIDIA’s H100 product. Jensen Huang referred to it as “the world’s first computer [chip] designed for generative AI”.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

The industry trend that I’d like to highlight is Microsoft’s strategic layout in the field of AI. With Microsoft’s involvement in AI and its integration with the Windows and PC ecosystem, AI can now bring significant innovation in both software and hardware ecosystems.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Without a doubt, the hottest trend is AI. This term has made an impact across various industries, with almost every sector leveraging AI for innovation and breakthroughs. It can be foreseen that this trend will continue in the coming years.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

It can be described as “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend”. Whether in the field of AI, new energy vehicles, or consumer electronics, with the collaborative efforts of AI and related hardware and chips, the pace and diversity of changes in the world have become even more rapid.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

Next year, what I am most looking forward to is the integration of AI in consumer electronics and personal digital products, breakthroughs in the MR/AR field, technological innovations in the new energy vehicle sector, and the refinement of technology in the field of intelligent driving. This includes leading enterprises both domestically and internationally. Of course, the actions of companies led by Musk next year are also worth paying attention to, as he always manages to bring unconventional breakthroughs and innovations.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

From a technological perspective, AI, when used friendly, will undoubtedly significantly improve human work and life. However, technology can also be exploited by malicious actors, and what we need to do is take preventive measures. In the current trend, AI will not pose a threat to humanity; it will only assist humanity in entering a new era of development, resolving more conflicts.

Note: The article was written by Evan Huang and translated by Zinan Zhang.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Evan Huang, reporter at TechNode. Evan Huang is a tech reporter based in Shanghai who focuses on consumer electronics, hardware, and AI.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

Huawei. Under U.S. sanctions for over three years, Huawei’s business faced setbacks. However, the launch of Mate60 Pro on August 31 sparked a wave of enthusiasm. Huawei, now using self-developed chips again, is considered to break the U.S. technological blockade, showcasing the strength and resilience of Chinese technology.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

Apple. iPhone, as a trendsetter in the smartphone industry, experienced minimal overall upgrades in 2023 which needed to be improved. Moreover, it is the first time that Apple hasn’t released any new iPad in the entire year. Since the initial launch of the iPad in 2010, Apple has consistently introduced new iPads each year, making 2023 an exception.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Lei Jun. On November 29th, Lei Jun, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group, made a personal donation of RMB 1.3 billion to Wuhan University where he graduated from. This is the largest individual cash donation received by any university in China. Lei Jun believes that basic disciplines have been relatively disadvantaged in universities in recent years. Therefore, he donated this amount to support fundamental research in six disciplines (mathematics, physics, chemistry, literature, history, and philosophy), technological innovation in the field of computer science, and the education of university students.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

In November, OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, faced a sudden dismissal, after a series of twists, he briefly joined Microsoft before ultimately returning to OpenAI to reclaim his position. Throughout this process, the major disagreement between Altman and former Chief Scientist Ilya at OpenAI revolved around the pace of commercialization. Ilya advocated for a slower approach, emphasizing the importance of interpretability and safety in AI products. In contrast, Altman and former President Greg held a stance of technological optimism, pushing for an active pursuit of commercialization paths and a new round of financing.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

In September, Huawei announced the launch of HarmonyOS applications. It is said that the next-generation, HarmonyOS NEXT system base, is completely self-developed, eliminating traditional AOSP code and only supporting applications based on the HarmonyOS kernel and HarmonyOS system. This new design reduces 40% of redundant code, completely breaking free from the “skin” of Android. At the same time, by focusing on the development of HarmonyOS applications, Huawei can expand the influence of the HarmonyOS system and enhance the independent and controllable level of related technology and ecology.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Large Language Models. With the rapid development of technologies such as deep learning and big data, significant breakthroughs have been achieved in the training and application of large models. Large language models exhibit stronger generalization capabilities and higher performance, demonstrating outstanding abilities in areas such as speech recognition, natural language processing, computer vision, and more. The industry widely recognizes their enormous application potential in many commercial scenarios.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

“Seeking Change”. The Consumer Electronics Market is undergoing unprecedented transformation, with various emerging technologies and products continuously emerging. AI has brought a new atmosphere to hardware products in areas such as smartphones and smart homes, providing consumers with more choices and better experiences. At the same time, market competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and manufacturers need to keep pace with the times to meet consumer demands.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

AI Agent. The AI Agent will connect to other services and solve practical problems, making the interaction between humans and AI more profound, rather than just simple input-output interactions.  For example, a mature AI Agent can significantly reduce the cost of software production.  Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, has expressed, “Whoever wins the personal agent, that’s the big thing, because you will never go to a search site again, you will never go to a productivity site, you’ll never go to Amazon again.”

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

AI is a double-edged sword, and my answer is temporarily uncertain. AI creates more opportunities and possibilities, reshaping global business, technology, education, and other fields. Additionally, with the continuous improvement of AI’s capabilities in decision-making and execution, there may be some unpredictable and uncontrollable situations.   Moreover, the widespread adoption and application of AI may lead to excessive reliance on technology, potentially weakening certain fundamental skills and judgments in humans.   In this process, it is essential to closely monitor and establish appropriate regulatory and ethical frameworks to ensure that the development of AI has a positive long-term impact on humanity.

Note: The article was written by Penghui Li and translated by Zinan Zhang.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Penghui Li, reporter at TechNode. Penghui is a tech reporter who focuses on the Southeast Asian VC Ecosystem and Companies Going Overseas.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

Whether from the perspective of a netizen or a content creator, the generative AI craze sparked by ChatGPT over the whole year has frequently appeared in my daily life. I have gradually accepted and actively started using such tools to enhance my work efficiency. I look forward to more surprises from this type of technology.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

It’s amazing that VinFast, a Vietnamese electric vehicle company, actually delivered its first EV in 2023. This company was founded in 2017, and the company announced its transition from fuel vehicles to electric vehicle manufacturing in 2021. In the second half of 2022, I always saw related news about the delivery of its first car on Christmas Day that year but it was still delayed. 

Before this, I have always had doubts about VinFast. Although I have seen too much news about car manufacturing, it is difficult for me to believe whether this young car company can produce cars as its pricing is benchmarked against Tesla, and its primary target market is also North America. In addition, the industry has always referred to it as the “Vietnamese Tesla.” The combination of these accolades and repeated delays makes it hard for people not to feel that it is a script. However, VinFast has indeed been produced.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Sam Altman. Before the recent conflicts within ChatGPT and OpenAI this year, as I have a slight interest in tokusatsu, “Ultraman” would more specifically refer to Tsuburaya’s Ultraman series in my memories (Altman and Ultraman have a similar translation in China) However, after the ChatGPT and OpenAI controversies, the various Chinese translations of Altman’s name. I hope that he can have a consistent Chinese translation of his name.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

The upheaval in TikTok’s Indonesian e-commerce business. What stands out to me is that, on the one hand, as a company, TikTok’s impact extends far beyond our conventional understanding of a business. On the other hand, looking at it from the perspective of a company going global, there have been significant changes compared to simply introducing products and services to overseas markets in the past.

However, in my opinion, when a startup gradually continues to mature and becomes a presence that industry insiders pay attention to and even influence the development of the industry, the things it undertakes will gradually surpass everyone’s imagination. At this point, interpreting these things purely from the perspective of right or wrong, or good or bad, becomes quite complex. From the standpoint of a content creator, this can make me feel an intangible pressure.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

Cross-border Payment Linkage among Southeast Asian countries and between Southeast Asia and other regions. More specifically, this movement is made up of a series of specific events over 23 years, particularly cross-border payments and cross-border transfers.

Before the pandemic, there were large groups of tourists and travelers traveling between Southeast Asian countries every year. And as the effects of the pandemic have gradually passed, these movements have begun to return. The ease of payment will further promote the transactional activities in these cross-border behaviors. Almost every Southeast Asian country will have its QR code payment platform. If one account/one phone can be used in all countries, I believe more people will also start this kind of transaction behavior.

From my perspective, I would recommend that we focus on the impact of this process of increasing integration. When we mention Southeast Asia, it’s not hard to realize that the region is made up of many countries with different development paths and processes.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Funding Winter. Intuitively, our readers might notice that the funding reports I’ve written in 2023 have been significantly decreasing compared to the previous two years.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

“Back to the reasonable range” for the tech VC in Southeast Asia.

I’ve heard this from Southeast Asia-focused investors over the past year. The Southeast Asian VC community was experiencing a boom in 2021 and the first half of 2022. In comparison, Southeast Asia is currently undergoing a “financing winter.” Despite being an “underrated region”, their performance in the past few years does not seem to be a sustainable condition in the long term. On the journey of Southeast Asia’s “digital decade”, it has only completed one-third of the road.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

Electric Vehicle/EV industry (both two and four-wheeled). On the one hand, it comes from Southeast Asia’s ambition to become a regional hub for EVs. On the other hand, the Southeast Asia area is also hosting a boom in EVs going overseas in China. 

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

Yes. My understanding of the threat is to have a harmful effect. AI may currently refer specifically to AIGC, and the main reason that makes me feel threatened is the increasing presence of AI voices including harassing phone calls and video content AI reading voice. AI content, such as the articles that are becoming more commonly produced by AI, usually seems to be well-written but is actually uninformed or even wrong in its opinions. There are quite a few people who use AI assistants to discuss issues with me.

I’m not saying that AI answers are wrong, but in terms of accuracy, AI-generated content can easily be misleading.

I also realize that AI is essentially a tool, and the value it can add depends on the perspective of the people who use it. What I’m worried about has existed before AIGC was created, though they’re likely to become more numerous and difficult to discern in the future.

Anyway, before more specific regulations and policies are finalized, this buzzword will bring more room for imagination and development value to the world, and at the same time, it will also produce negative impacts that cannot be ignored. As for the concern of AI occupying human jobs, I don’t think that’s what I can explore alone, and at least not in the short term for my job, it doesn’t have that possibility.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll be presenting nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Cheyenne Dong, reporter at TechNode. Cheyenne is a tech reporter now based in Shanghai. She covers e-commerce and retail, blockchain, and Web3.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

OpenAI. OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022 led directly to the following year belonging to the wild year of generative artificial intelligence. Despite the subsequent launch of ChatGPT-like services by worldwide tech firms, OpenAI’s overwhelming success in AI has made it a challenge for rivals to keep up with its pace.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

Alibaba. The Chinese e-commerce giant conducted eye-catching organizational overhauls throughout the past year, and each adjustment has been a big deal, both internally and to the public. What kind of energy the company will unleash in the new year to take on the competition in industries under its startling overhaul?

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. He was able to face around five hours of questioning by dozens of US lawmakers in March.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman was in the center of media spotlight even before the board abruptly fired him, and this unexpected 72-hour-long firing event gives me a feeling that it’s more exciting than any TV series.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

PDD’s market value exceeds that of Alibaba. This landmark event shows that Pinduoduo, which offers ultra-low-priced goods at a time of economic uncertainty, is emerging as the most challenging and disruptive force in China’s e-commerce sector.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

AI, companies in almost every field are looking to rebuild their services and products with the power of AI.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

Juan or in the English context it can be understood as competition for even some small factors has reached unhealthy levels, like which platform offers ultra-low prices for the same items, delivery times, or providing near-zero threshold after-sales service.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

OpenAI’s GPT-5.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

Not at this stage, instead, human beings could be significantly more productive if they had better AI tools, but the future is not easy to predict.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the field of technology. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll be presenting nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Jill Shem, reporter at TechNode. Jill is based in Shanghai and covers news from across China’s tech landscape while keeping a close eye on developments in the fields of electric vehicles and autonomous driving. 

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

BYD retained its top position as China’s top EV maker with sales of more than 3 million units last year. The annual growth rate was also much higher than the industry average despite the competition, and it looks like the giant maker will stay on top in the foreseeable future.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

Huawei surprised everyone with a strong bouceback in EV sales, as the technology giant delivered more than 56,000 Aito-branded EVs with manufacturing partner Seres over the last three months of 2023. The company was amazingly adaptive that it finally “revived a dead brand,” as Huawei’s consumer business boss Richard Yu has said. 

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Huawei’s Richard Yu, probably one of the best-known workaholics in the Chinese auto and tech industries. I watched him speak on at least five press conferences throughout the year and witnessed how he made the phrase “far ahead of rivals” a trending term on the Chinese internet. 

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

The ongoing anti-subsidy investigation into China-made electric vehicles by the European Commission was unexpected and could have a far-reaching impact on Chinese rising carmakers. This, along with the US Inflation Reduction Act, could herald more regulations and even sanctions against Chinese electric cars and take the tensions between China and the West to a new level. 

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

It will be interesting to know what efforts will be made by global auto majors to defend their market share against Chinese competitors. Any good updates from Volkswagen regarding its partnerships with Xpeng, whether Toyota would change its mind and be more open to battery EVs, or would Tesla finally be able to roll out its full-self driving software this year? I am happy to find out. 

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Nei Juan, a buzzword meaning involution in Chinese. Usually we just call it Juan for short and that’s what everybody says and what I’ve seen from this huge but increasingly crowded EV market. Automakers launched their tech-packed, luxury-styled new models at stunningly low prices and yet some of them still can’t capture a decent volume. China is undoubtly the most violent regional market on the planet and an industry veteran told me that if you can survive here, you will make it anywhere else in the world. 

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

Upmarket. That’s probably one of the most significant developments when we take a look into what Chinese automakers have done in the past year. It would be hard to imagine 10 years ago that a Chinese-branded car sells good at more than RMB 300,000 (RMB 41,880), but this is happening right now and right here. How far will they go?

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

I very much expect the availability of automated driving functions that would allow cars to steer, brake, and navigate on Chinese complex city streets. I took several really smooth test rides offered by automakers and self-driving car companies in the past year and that was amazing. I look forward the technology being more reliable and affordable in 2024, bringing future into reality faster. 

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

I am a bit worried about the potential for humans to lose control of AI as we’ve seen the technology advanced at unprecedented rates in the past year. I am hoping for more dialogues and collaborations among nations and businesses for AI regulation and transparency.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the field of technology. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll be presenting nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Our first Q&A comes from Jessie Wu, our reporter at TechNode. Jessie is a tech reporter based in Shanghai. She covers consumer electronics, semiconductors, and the gaming industry for TechNode. 

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

Huawei introduced the Mate60 series featuring the cutting-edge Kirin 9000S chip, manufactured in China by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). This chip marks a significant advancement as it is the first chip from the Chinese manufacturer to be built on a 7nm node process.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

ByteDance has scaled down its gaming business following reports of significant job cuts. ByteDance currently struggled to deliver high-grossing games and grab gaming market share, despite entering the gaming market in 2019 to challenge the domestic industry leaders like Tencent and NetEase.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun set a record by making a cash donation of RMB 1.3 billion ($183 million) to his alma mater, Wuhan University. This contribution, the largest ever from an alumnus to a Chinese university, is expected to support computer science innovations, students’ development, and research across six fundamental disciplines.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

ChatGPT can generate unique images based on a conversation. If users describe the vision, ChatGPT will provide related visuals and further revisions within the chat.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

In June 2023, the Dutch government implemented additional export controls on specific advanced semiconductor production equipment. Consequently, ASML needs to apply for licenses for selling advanced chip-making machines to China due to this ban.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

AI is being employed by companies to enhance employee productivity. AI can manage repetitive tasks throughout an organization, allowing employees to concentrate on innovative solutions, complex problem-solving, and meaningful work.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

Challenge. Huawei and Xiaomi are focusing on creating their own operating systems for devices, as domestic tech companies may face potential restrictions on accessing crucial hardware or software of US origin.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

Black Myth: Wukong is an upcoming action role-playing game by Chinese developer Game Science, based on the classical 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. This martial arts title might be China’s very first AAA game.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

Currently, I think that AI is not a threat for humans. Because we are currently in the stage of capitalist society, and the essence of capitalist society is built on consumption. However, AI itself cannot consume, which means it is destined to be unable to fully replace humans.