On August 2, New Oriental issued a statement saying that at the New Oriental Group's financial report meeting for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024, an analyst asked about the company's related costs and expenses paid to Mr. Dong Yuhui, and the term one-time compensation was used. This expression was misunderstood by some people as a one-time resignation compensation given to him by New Oriental Group in order to dismiss Mr. Dong Yuhui. The separation of the company from the East is the result of friendly consultation and agreement between the two sides, and there is no such thing as dismissal. The company arranged to pay all the proceeds of "Walk with Hui" since its establishment, as well as all the payments related to the equity transfer of "Walk with Hui", to Mr. Dong Yuhui, which is a support for the continued development of Mr. Dong Yuhui and "Walk with Hui" in the future, rather than severance compensation. (Finance Associated Press)
The State Administration of Financial Supervision and Administration recently issued a reply showing that it agreed that Anbang Insurance Group Co., Ltd. and Anbang Property Insurance Co., Ltd. would enter bankruptcy proceedings. (SSE News)
When will Apple AI land in China? Cook was asked on a conference call on Thursday about the landing of Apple Intelligence in other markets, particularly China and the European Union. Cook didn't give too many details, but said Apple was "engaged" with regulators to make the feature available to "everyone." He said Apple first wants to understand all regulatory requirements before enabling Apple Intelligence in these regions to provide a timeline. For users in China and the European Union, AI features are currently unavailable, and Apple is likely doing so because it fears that the regulation of AI under local European laws will lead to changes to the way Apple Intelligence works. (Phoenix.com Technology)
On the evening of August 2, Lei Jun, founder, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi, revealed on Weibo that he drove the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra test car for three laps at the New North Circuit that day, and also obtained the driving certification of the New North Circuit. (IT House)
[Zhou Hongyi responded that he will become the largest shareholder of 360: he will go down with the company] On August 2, 360 announced that the controlling shareholder Tianjin Qixin Zhicheng decided to liquidate. After the liquidation, Qixin Zhicheng will be split from the single major shareholder of 360 Company to 36 small shareholders, directly holding the shares of the listed company, and the largest shareholder of the listed company will be changed from Qixin Zhicheng to Zhou Hongyi. In response, Zhou Hongyi responded, "As the founder and chairman, he has never sold a single share of 360 after it was listed, and he will go down with the company, do 360 well, and unswervingly stand on the front line of maintaining national network security on the road of serving the country." (Securities Times)
[Another manufacturer's vehicle was covered with black cloth after the fire, and the official customer service said: For the rescue process] After the Beiqi Jihu vehicle fire manufacturer pried the car mark and covered the black cloth for the first time, the black cloth was also covered after the fire of the Cialis product. On August 2, a video of a white Cialis SF5 catching fire with a NIO car circulated on the Internet. Witnesses said that the incident occurred at the entrance of a unit, and the Cialis (white electric car) first spontaneously combusted, and then ignited the NIO car next to it. After firefighters extinguished the fire, the white vehicle was covered with a black cloth. Cialis customer service responded: "There is no feedback on the incident for the time being, and the on-site black cloth may be a process of rescue, because it involves user privacy, so it is not convenient to feedback if there is a result, but the big event will be announced." (Yicai)
Recently, Wang Hai, a well-known anti-counterfeiter, broke the news that the hometown chicken free-range chicken was fake, falsely advertising that "all ingredients are high-quality free-range chickens that grow naturally for more than 180 days". He posted a video on social media saying that the hometown chicken sells anxiety and has deceived consumers for more than ten years with the gimmick of "free-range", and is suspected of false advertising.
Wang Hai said that he secretly visited the cooperative farmer farm of Laoxiang chickens and found that there were no chickens on the grass at all, and nearby villagers also revealed that if they were free-range, the grass would be gone. In this regard, the customer service of Lao Xiang Chicken said that the company's chickens are not free-range in the whole process, and the first 80 days are concentrated in the greenhouse, and the chickens are free-range after 80 days, and there is no problem with the quality of the chickens. (Hexun)
On August 2, Shenzhen Gaozhang Capital Investment Co., Ltd. issued a statement saying that it had recently received feedback from many parties that some people carried out business activities such as training, consulting, investment, and equity participation as investors of "Flash Girl Sisi" (that is, Beijing Haomeng Live Culture Communication Co., Ltd.). Up to now, the fund under Gaozhang Capital is the sole investor of Beijing Haomeng Live Culture Communication Co., Ltd. and "Flash Girl Sisi", and any person claiming to be an investor is false information. (Sina Finance)
On August 2, it was learned from the inside of Li Auto that its rights and interests will be contracted in the future. In this regard, I called the ideal car sales store, and the relevant person said, "I have indeed received a notice that the L6 discount of 5,000 activities will end on the 14th of this month, and there will be no discount at that time." Coincidentally, according to NIO store sales sources, the brand's rights and interests will also begin to decline in August. According to incomplete statistics, after BMW launched the "first shot" of the exit price war on July 12, in the past 20 days, waves of "price increases" have been brewing in the terminal market, and about 10 brands have been exposed to follow up. (Blue Whale Finance)
[News says Apple is putting pressure on Tencent and Byte to close the loopholes that direct users to external payment systems] Apple is reportedly increasing pressure on Tencent and ByteDance. The iPhone maker has asked the two companies in recent months to circumvent Apple's usual 30 percent commission by plugging loopholes used by its in-app developers to direct users to external payment systems, according to people familiar with the matter.
Apple warned Tencent in May that it could reject an important update from WeChat unless Tencent removes links used by mini-game developers to accept payments outside of Apple's platform, people familiar with the matter said. Apple told ByteDance in June that it would not accept a new update from Douyin unless it also plugged similar payment loopholes, a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. (Sina Finance)
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[Tesla becomes a "motorcycle killer"? Recently, two car accidents involving Tesla's advanced driver assistance system Autopilot and FSD, both of which were motorcyclists, and the family of one of the victims has filed a lawsuit against Tesla, alleging that the company's driver assistance software and other safety features are "flawed and inadequate" and "should have identified the danger posed by the deceased's motorcycle in front of them." Tesla says that neither system can drive itself at the moment, and that human drivers must be ready to take over control at any time. (Sina Finance)
[Brother Xiao Yang sells offline classes for two days and two nights for 9980, suspected of starting the Ten Thousand Sheep Plan] Recently, the training business "Three-person Live Classroom" under Three Sheep is about to start offline classes. This time, the three sheep opened two types of offline training courses, one is the advanced class, for anchors, factories and enterprise personnel with certain experience, the price is 9980 yuan / person. The other type is the Xiaobai course, which is aimed at the novice group of the industry, and the price is cheaper and more, at 3980 yuan / person. A business person said: "The advanced class will roughly enroll about 50 people, last for two days and two nights, and start on August 2. Previously, Lu Wenqing, chairman of the Three Sheep, mentioned: In the future, we have a major plan called "Ten Thousand Sheep Plan", each talent has his own unique secrets, and even selling hats can become vertical experts. (Blue Whale News)
Recently, Wanda Real Estate Group Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary, Chifeng Songshan Wanda Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., were listed as dishonest persons subject to execution (lai lai) by the People's Court of Songshan District, Chifeng City, due to violations of the property reporting system, and the performance was all unfulfilled. According to the case process information, in February this year, the above-mentioned company was forced to pay more than 1.28 million yuan. It is worth mentioning that not long ago, Wanda Real Estate Group Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary Chaozhou Wanda City Investment Co., Ltd. were also listed as dishonest judgment debtors (old lai) by the Xiangqiao District People's Court of Chaozhou City for failing to perform the case payment of more than 330,000 yuan, and were restricted from high consumption. (National Business Daily)
[Taobao internal beta after-sales negotiation tool: automatically provide consumers with multiple negotiation plans, which can effectively reduce the refund rate] Taobao will launch an after-sales negotiation tool for all Taobao and Tmall merchants to meet the independent negotiation needs of merchants and consumers in after-sales scenarios. According to reports, the tool has been tested internally for some merchants, and can automatically provide multiple personalized negotiation plans for consumers to choose according to the different needs of consumers in after-sales scenarios, helping merchants strengthen their after-sales active service capabilities and reduce refund rates. (Cover News)
[Fast food chains are also going to have a price war? Burger King pushes 9.9 yuan burger promotion, saying that the price is a long-term strategy] It is reported that Burger King China announced that it will "bring burgers into the 9.9 yuan era" from August 5, and reduce the price of four signature burgers, including Little Huangbao and Fruity Flavor Chicken Leg Burger, to 9.9 yuan for four consecutive weeks. Burger King said that this is an unprecedented promotion. On the one hand, the promotion lasts for a long time, including ace burgers such as Castle Royal, Castle Petit Royal, etc., to join the price war. On the other hand, this promotion is at the same price for dine-in, delivery, and e-commerce, and there is no limit to members. (Sina Finance)
Recently, some consumers reported that they bought a fountain pen at the official flagship store of Tmall Montblanc Montblanc, and after receiving the goods, they were not satisfied with the thickness of the words written by the pen, and their application for a 7-day return without reason was rejected. In this regard, the staff of the official flagship store of Tmall Montblanc said that the fountain pen is a special writing instrument, and consumers have dipped the fountain pen in ink, and the nib cannot be restored to the new state of the original factory, which affects the secondary sales and cannot agree to the return request. At the moment, the two sides have not reached an agreement. (surging)
[The United States Department of Justice is reportedly investigating Nvidia's acquisition of Run:ai] According to Politico, people familiar with the matter revealed that the United States Department of Justice is investigating semiconductor company Nvidia's acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Run:ai on antitrust grounds. The companies announced the deal at the end of April, but did not disclose the price of the deal, although there were reports of a $700 million deal. (Interface)
[Musk: One day, Tesla will manufacture a set of electric drive systems every second] In the early morning of August 2, Beijing time, the X (Twitter) account Tesla Manufacturing (Tesla Manufacturing) announced that a new electric drive system is currently being produced every 5 seconds. Subsequently, Musk retweeted the post and made a bold statement: One day, Tesla will build an electric drive system every second. (Drive House)
Jaguar Land Rover plans to spend an additional £3 billion to support its strategic transformation to the electric vehicle market United Kingdom luxury SUV manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover is planning to invest another £3 billion ($3.8 billion) in its strategic realignment to cope with the slowdown in the global transition to electric vehicles. The car will increase its planned investment to £18 billion over the next five years to support its strategy to achieve all-electric vehicle ownership by the end of the decade. Part of the increase in spending is due to the slowdown in demand for electric vehicles. (Finance Associated Press)
【Malay wallet suspended? WeChat Pay Response] There are rumors that WeChat Pay MY (i.e. WeChat Pay Malay Wallet) will stop new user registration from August 1, 2024, and will officially cease all payment services from September 1, 2024. In response to the above news, the relevant person in charge of WeChat Pay replied that WeChat Pay MY is an e-wallet service for local users in Malaysia, due to the adjustment of local business strategies in Malaysia, the business will stop new user registration from August 1, 2024, and users with balances can withdraw funds through existing services. (Interface)
Chevron to move headquarters from California to Texas Chevron plans to move its headquarters from San Ramon, California to Houston, Texas. CEO Mike Wirth will move to Houston by the end of 2024. For the rest of the employees currently in San Ramon, the impact of the direct relocation is minimal, and all corporate functions are expected to move to Houston over the next five years. Chevron currently employs approximately 7,000 people in the Houston area and approximately 2,000 in San Ramon. (Sina Finance)
Security and AI startup Protect AI Inc. has raised $60 million from investors betting that the intersection of AI and security will be big business. The round was led by Evolution Equity Partners and valued the startup at $400 million. This brings the company's post-funding valuation to $460 million. (Smartbeast analysis here to see more)
Fusion company Type One Energy recently announced that it has received $53.5 million in new financing. The lead investor in the financing was Bill · Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures, with participation from Australia's Foxglove Ventures and New Zealand's GD1. (Smartbeast analysis here to see more)
[LG CNS, an IT service company under LG Group, is reported to be planning to IPO in Korea as early as next year] Bloomberg news, according to people familiar with the matter, LG CNS, an IT service company under LG Group, is preparing for an IPO in Seoul, Korea as early as 2025. A representative of LG CNS said that the company has not yet decided on the timing of the listing. (Smartbeast analysis here to see more)
【ZHONGCHI AUTOZI INTERNET TECHNOLOGY SUBMITS IPO APPLICATION TO THE United States SEC】AUTOZI INTERNET TECHNOLOGY SUBMITS AN IPO APPLICATION TO THE United States SEC. It is reported that the company applied for listing on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "AZI", and intends to issue 2.5 million Class A shares, and the IPO is expected to be priced between $4 and $5 per share. (Smartbeast analysis here to see more)
On August 2, at the 2024 Xiangdao Travel Partner Conference, Ni Licheng, CEO of Xiangdao Travel, announced that Xiangdao Travel will complete the C round of financing of over 1 billion yuan in the second half of this year, and launch the IPO plan in 2025 in due course. (Smartbeast analysis here to see more)
Shanghai Luoqi Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd. has completed nearly 200 million yuan in B2 round of financing, this round of financing is led by Qiming Venture Capital, Huangpu Biomedical Fund, Jiuyu Investment participated, and the old shareholder Shengdi Investment continued to increase, and the company also announced the end of the B round of financing, with a total financing of nearly 300 million yuan. (Smartbeast analysis here to see more)
[Fuxiang Aesthetics Completes Nearly 100 Million Yuan A Series A Financing] Silk fibroin biomaterials company Fuxiang Aesthetics has recently completed a round A financing of nearly 100 million yuan. The financing was co-led by Yuhai Capital and Shaanxi New Era Capital, and followed by Rui Venture Capital. (Smartbeast analysis here to see more)
【Yepeng Digital Intelligence Technology Completes 30 Million Angel Round Financing】Intelligent building and commercial facilities management company Yepeng Digital Intelligence Technology (Ningbo) Co., Ltd. announced the successful completion of an angel round of financing of 30 million yuan, which was invested by the investment institution Fuxing Capital. (Smartbeast analysis here to see more)
On August 2, Hunan Maiji Biotechnology Co., Ltd. announced the completion of Series B financing, with a financing amount of more than 200 million yuan. (Smartbeast analysis here to see more)
On August 2, the national earthquake early warning applet "China Earthquake Network" was officially launched for public testing, and users can add a place of interest to turn on the earthquake early warning, and when the estimated intensity reaches a certain level, the platform will push an early warning notification to WeChat. (CCTV News)
【Alibaba International will launch the world's first AI-driven B2B search engine】The AI-driven B2B search engine developed by Alibaba International will be officially unveiled in September this year. It is understood that Ali International's new product will be the world's first professional version of the AI search engine, which focuses on global B2B e-commerce, for small and medium-sized business owners around the world, and intends to change the global procurement process to make it more intuitive and efficient. In the future, the AI search engine will integrate various e-commerce platforms across the network. (Securities Times)
On August 2, Moonshot AI announced the official release of Kimi's enterprise-level API. These APIs provide enterprise-grade model inference capabilities, higher levels of data security, and concurrency rates. Since its launch on October 9, 2023, Kimi has undergone several rounds of updates to continuously enhance its long text processing capabilities, and in July 2024, it introduced a contextual caching feature to reduce developer costs and speed up model responsiveness. At present, Kimi's feature set covers the fields of long text summarization, generation, online search, data processing, code writing, user interaction, and translation. (CBN)
Google Inc. announced on Thursday (August 1) that it will launch the next set of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered features for Chrome. These features include Google Lens to more easily search for what you see, more visually compare products across multiple tabs, and easier to find your history of browsing in the browser. The three new features coming soon are all based on the latest Google AI and Gemini models. (Finance Associated Press)
On August 2, SAIC-GM-Wuling Motors announced that the first new energy dual-power SUV under the D platform of Tianyu Architecture, Wuling Starlight S, officially opened the national pre-sale, with a pre-sale price of 102,800 yuan. (Bitauto)
[Agency: Global smartphone shipments rebounded 8% year-on-year to 290 million units in the second quarter] TechInsights research report shows that global smartphone shipments rebounded 8% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2024 to 290 million units. Samsung tops the global smartphone market with a market share of nearly 19%. Apple ranks second with a 15% market share. Xiaomi, vivo, and Transsion round out the top five, followed by OPPO (OnePlus), Honor, Lenovo-Motorola, realme, and Huawei. Among the top 10 suppliers, all but OPPO (OnePlus) achieved positive year-on-year growth rates. (IT House)
According to the data of the Passenger Association, according to the preliminary monthly data, the wholesale sales of new energy passenger car manufacturers in the country in July are estimated to be 950,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 29% and a month-on-month decrease of 3%. (Interface)
[The National Press and Publication Administration announced the approval information for imported online games in 2024, and a total of 75 games were approved] The National Press and Publication Administration announced the approval information for imported online games in 2024, and a total of 75 games were approved. (China Securities Network)
Korea According to the statistics released by the Korea Statistics Agency on the 1st, the scale of cross-border e-commerce online shopping (overseas shopping) in the second quarter of Korea exceeded 2 trillion won (about 10.6 billion yuan) for the first time, and the proportion of Chinese products exceeded 60% for the first time. (Finance Associated Press)