Why Everyone Is ‘Becoming Chinese’ On TikTok - Week in Tech

You’re meeting us at a ‘very Chinese time in our lives’ and today’s episode is no exception — it’s all about China. First, Oz explains China’s attempt to claw a Singaporean AI company, Manus, back from Meta. And why Chinese customs are rejecting NVIDIA H200 chips. Is China fighting back? Then, Karah fills us in on why everyone on TikTok is saying they are Chinese. Finally, humans fold laundry for hours while humanoid robots just watch, TikTok launches a new app for microdramas and Silicon Valley is hiring ‘cracked’ engineers. 

Additional Reading: 

• China Is Investigating Meta’s Acquisition of the AI Start-Up Manus | The New York Times 
• China blocks Nvidia H200 AI chips that US government cleared for export | The Guardian 
• TikTok Shows Americans In Their ‘Chinese Era’ of Health Habits | Bloomberg
• In Chinese data factories, workers teach humanoid robots boring tasks | Rest Of World
• TikTok quietly launches a microdrama app called 'PineDrama' | TechCrunch 
• Forget Vibe Coders: ‘Cracked Engineers’ Are All the Rage in Tech | The Information

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