China's tech slowdown

Digitally China

Over the past five years, China’s internet industry has seen dizzying growth, with each year hitting record-levels of funding. In the second quarter of 2018, Chinese startups raised more venture capital than startups in North America for the first time.

But at the end of last year, the industry started winding down -- fast. Rumors started about mass layoffs at different tech firms, from ecommerce giant JD to Quora-like Zhihu. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs braced themselves for a “capital winter.”

So is China’s startup scene finally facing the music after years of cash-burning growth? Is this just a market correction or a sign of worse things to come?

In this episode, we will cover:

• Stories from the good old days of China’s startup industry
• Factors contributing to the slowdown
• The impact on China's tech industry and human cost of market correction

Guests:

• Gu Xi, marketing partner at Higgz, a Beijing-based AI education startup focusing primarily on improving high school students’ learning capabilities.
• Chauncey Jung, a freelance writer based in Canada who focuses on technology, politics, and current affairs in China.

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