ByteDance and Alibaba kill custom AI companions as China’s new rules bite
Two major Chinese AI apps disabled customized agent features ahead of Beijing's new regulations on humanlike AI interaction services taking effect July 15. ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba's Qwen removed their personalized agent capabilities to comply with the incoming rules.
Read full story →Meta just told some of its former managers to become managers again
Meta is asking some individual contributors in its Applied AI division to return to managerial roles after implementing a flat structure with up to 50 contributors per manager. The division, formed in March with 7,000 employees, previously eliminated management layers during its 2023 efficiency campaign.
Central Eurasia names its 2026 Road to Battlefield winners: Cerberus, WeGlobal AI, and LOOQ
Three startups,Cerberus, WeGlobal AI, and LOOQ,won the Central Eurasia regional final of Road to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2026. They will compete at the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October.
China’s car exports beat last year’s record with four months to go
China exported over 6.2 million passenger cars in the first eight months of 2024, surpassing its entire 2023 export total with four months remaining. Plug-in hybrids drove much of Europe's growth, as these vehicles escape EU tariffs on Chinese cars.