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An insider lens
on China.
Dispatches on business, AI, tech, and marketing — what's actually working inside the world's most misread market, and the cross-border arbitrage Western brands keep missing.
Zhipu Just Crossed HK$1 Trillion. Western Coverage of Chinese AI Is Broken.
Zhipu Just Crossed HK$1 Trillion. Western Coverage of Chinese AI Is Broken.
It isn't DeepSeek vs OpenAI. China has three AI lab archetypes, and most Western operators only know one. Here's the map that fixes your vendor evaluation framework.
Read essayMeta Paid $2 Billion for a Claude Wrapper. Then Beijing Made Them Give It Back.
Meta Paid $2 Billion for a Claude Wrapper. Then Beijing Made Them Give It Back.
The geopolitics framing is wrong. The real story rewrites your M&A playbook — how to value agent SaaS, how to structure China-origin M&A, and which exits remain viable for the next wave of Chinese AI teams.
Read essayBuild an AI Content Creation System: How to Produce 30 Days of Content in 3 Hours
Build an AI Content Creation System: How to Produce 30 Days of Content in 3 Hours
The brands that win with AI in 2026 aren't the ones with the best AI tools — they're the ones with the best systems. Here's the exact content creation system Annie uses to produce multi-platform content at scale.
Read essayShopify for Global Brands: The Traffic Strategy That Doesn't Rely on Paid Ads
Shopify for Global Brands: The Traffic Strategy That Doesn't Rely on Paid Ads
Most Shopify stores fail not because of poor products, but because they run out of paid ad budget before they figure out what converts. This guide shows you the organic traffic engine that global brands should build alongside paid channels.
Read essayMeta Ads vs TikTok Ads in 2026: Which Platform Wins for Global Brand Growth?
Meta Ads vs TikTok Ads in 2026: Which Platform Wins for Global Brand Growth?
Both platforms have matured their AI ad systems in 2026. This head-to-head breaks down where each platform wins, which product categories favor which platform, and how to allocate budget when you can only pick one to start.
Read essayTikTok Shop for Global Sellers: How to Go from Zero to First 100 Orders
TikTok Shop for Global Sellers: How to Go from Zero to First 100 Orders
TikTok Shop is now live in 15+ markets with over $30B in GMV in 2025. Here's the step-by-step playbook for global sellers entering TikTok Shop — from account setup to first profitable campaign.
Read essayAI Marketing Tools Stack 2026: The Complete Guide for Global Brands
AI Marketing Tools Stack 2026: The Complete Guide for Global Brands
More AI tools doesn't mean better results. This guide cuts through the noise and shows you exactly which AI tools global brands should stack — mapped to every stage of your marketing workflow.
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