Latest news with #BlackMyth:Wukong
The Age
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
The video games industry is having its #MeToo moment. But there's a long way to go
Quinn, alongside other female, queer and non-binary gamers and developers were heavily targeted, with many facing ongoing harassment, doxxing and even death and rape threats. Independent games were also targeted, particularly if they appeared to skew more progressive. The online maelstrom became so severe that sites such as Kotaku, a popular gaming blog, banned their writers from contributing to crowdfunding appeals like Patreon. Tech company Intel also pulled an ad campaign from video game news site Gamasutra following complaints from GamerGaters about a column written by the editor-at-large that was critical of the male-centric gamer identity. The intensity of the GamerGate movement has since dissipated, but the sexist and bigoted attitudes it espoused live on. For example, the writer of a 2023 IGN report – which laid out a history of alleged sexism at the developer of Black Myth: Wukong, Game Science – became the target of a lengthy harassment campaign. And last year, rumours swirled that Ubisoft was allegedly forced by 'DEI [diversity, equality and inclusion] warriors' into making the main character of Assassin's Creed Shadows black, despite historical evidence that a black samurai warrior existed. Cue the #MeToo movement While GamerGaters were launching co-ordinated harassment campaigns against female and other minority gamers, developers and games journalists, trouble was also brewing inside the very companies that create the games they play. In August 2019, games designer Nathalie Lawhead posted about the alleged abusive behaviour and rape she says were inflicted upon her by former colleague composer Jeremy Soule. He vehemently denied the allegations and was never charged with a crime. Soule's management was contacted for comment. However, Lawhead's post had a domino effect, as several other women within the industry proceeded to share their own accounts of abuse in the workplace, including sexual harassment, gaslighting and retaliation. This included Zoe Quinn, who on August 27, 2019, accused Alec Holowka (who worked on the 2017 indie hit Night in the Woods) of sexual and verbal abuse. Holowka died shortly after on August 31. These weren't the first abuse allegations made within the industry. In 2018, a Kotaku investigation exposed a culture of sexism at developer Riot Games (makers of League of Legends). This resulted in five former employees suing the company over workplace harassment and discrimination. About 150 of Riot Games' employees protested over how the company was handling the lawsuit in 2019 – the largest video games protest of such nature at the time. The Ubisoft trial Arguably the most commonly referenced example, however, is the string of complaints made against executives at Ubisoft. In 2020, dozens of company employees filed complaints of sexual misconduct, bullying and harassment. While not accused of any misconduct individually, managing director Yannis Mallat left the company in the wake of the complaints. 'The recent allegations that have come to light in Canada against multiple employees make it impossible for him to continue in this position,' Ubisoft said in a statement reported by Bloomberg at the time. Global head of human resources Cécile Cornet was not accused of any misconduct personally but also departed Ubisoft and her division was reorganised. Chief creative officer Hascoët also departed at the time of Mallat and Cornet, and was last week found guilty in a French court of psychological harassment and complicity in sexual harassment. 'These departures come following the initiation of a rigorous review that the Company initiated in response to recent allegations and accusations of misconduct and inappropriate behaviour,' according to the Ubisoft statement to Bloomberg in 2020. According to Bloomberg, it was the 'most significant executive exodus in the $US150 billion industry since the #MeToo movement started gathering momentum'. The company proceeded to launch an internal inquiry. Following this, Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot announced a plan to overhaul the company's creative editorial team, adding that his 'goal is to create an inclusive and open culture that embraces more diverse and multidisciplinary expertise'. This series of events culminated in the recent trial in Bobigny, in which Serge Hascoët, former Ubisoft game director Guillaume Patrux, and former Ubisoft editorial vice-president Thomas François were found guilty of enabling a culture of bullying and sexual harassment within the company. What were the results of the trial? Thomas François was found guilty of sexual harassment, psychological harassment and an attempted sexual assault, and was given a three-year suspended prison sentence and fined more than $53,000. Serge Hascoët was acquitted of sexual harassment and complicity in psychological harassment, but was found guilty of psychological harassment and complicity in sexual harassment. He was given an 18-month suspended sentence and a fine of more than $80,000. Guillaume Patrux was found guilty of psychological harassment and given a 12-month suspended sentence and a fine of more than $17,000. Could this foster real change? UNSW associate professor Michael Kasumovic, who has researched gender differences in video games, says this could be a turning point within the industry, particularly as games companies continue to realise that gender equity is not only positive socially, but also financially. 'Many companies are interested in improving the STEM pipeline to increase diversity on their teams. And with social media, people are more willing to share their experiences,' he says. 'This [Ubisoft] trial could definitely speed things up, especially in Europe, where they're cracking down on such things more strongly.' Dr Susannah Emery, a lecturer in game design and digital media at the University of South Australia, also thinks this trial will show game companies there are legal consequences for poor workplace practices, but emphasises it won't fix everything. 'For a long time, the games industry has been dominated and controlled by certain voices and cultures, and when those are the people making the games, those are the voices amplified within the games they make,' Emery says. 'Everything else is seen as an exception to this 'norm' – women make up about half of all game players, but in Australia, only make up around 21 per cent of game developers. Loading 'Real action in this space has been slow because the systems controlling this, such as leadership and the laws, weren't built with safety or equity in mind. This is starting to change due to verdicts like this, but there's still a lot of work to do be done here.' The fallout from both GamerGate and the #MeToo movement has resulted in greater regulation within companies, including the implementation of moderation, the ability for gamers to modify their voice, and bans. A spokesperson at the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, Australia's peak industry body representing the video games industry, says creative environments flourish when people feel supported and empowered. 'All employees deserve a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace; one free from harassment, discrimination and intimidation ... It's vital that all workplaces within our sector continuously examine and strengthen their culture to uphold the highest standards and foster spaces where creativity and talent can thrive.' However, Kasumovic notes this is not just an issue within the video game industry, but a broader societal issue. 'One of the biggest things that needs to happen now is the education of young men so they realise their value isn't determined by their ability to compete,' he says. 'This is difficult because there are still so many spaces that allow men to behave in overtly aggressive and male-dominating ways … Society must continue to punish individuals who behave this way. Young people need to see and understand this sort of behaviour is unacceptable. 'Unfortunately, if history tells us anything, we have a long way to go.'
Sydney Morning Herald
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
The video games industry is having its #MeToo moment. But there's a long way to go
Quinn, alongside other female, queer and non-binary gamers and developers were heavily targeted, with many facing ongoing harassment, doxxing and even death and rape threats. Independent games were also targeted, particularly if they appeared to skew more progressive. The online maelstrom became so severe that sites such as Kotaku, a popular gaming blog, banned their writers from contributing to crowdfunding appeals like Patreon. Tech company Intel also pulled an ad campaign from video game news site Gamasutra following complaints from GamerGaters about a column written by the editor-at-large that was critical of the male-centric gamer identity. The intensity of the GamerGate movement has since dissipated, but the sexist and bigoted attitudes it espoused live on. For example, the writer of a 2023 IGN report – which laid out a history of alleged sexism at the developer of Black Myth: Wukong, Game Science – became the target of a lengthy harassment campaign. And last year, rumours swirled that Ubisoft was allegedly forced by 'DEI [diversity, equality and inclusion] warriors' into making the main character of Assassin's Creed Shadows black, despite historical evidence that a black samurai warrior existed. Cue the #MeToo movement While GamerGaters were launching co-ordinated harassment campaigns against female and other minority gamers, developers and games journalists, trouble was also brewing inside the very companies that create the games they play. In August 2019, games designer Nathalie Lawhead posted about the alleged abusive behaviour and rape she says were inflicted upon her by former colleague composer Jeremy Soule. He vehemently denied the allegations and was never charged with a crime. Soule's management was contacted for comment. However, Lawhead's post had a domino effect, as several other women within the industry proceeded to share their own accounts of abuse in the workplace, including sexual harassment, gaslighting and retaliation. This included Zoe Quinn, who on August 27, 2019, accused Alec Holowka (who worked on the 2017 indie hit Night in the Woods) of sexual and verbal abuse. Holowka died shortly after on August 31. These weren't the first abuse allegations made within the industry. In 2018, a Kotaku investigation exposed a culture of sexism at developer Riot Games (makers of League of Legends). This resulted in five former employees suing the company over workplace harassment and discrimination. About 150 of Riot Games' employees protested over how the company was handling the lawsuit in 2019 – the largest video games protest of such nature at the time. The Ubisoft trial Arguably the most commonly referenced example, however, is the string of complaints made against executives at Ubisoft. In 2020, dozens of company employees filed complaints of sexual misconduct, bullying and harassment. While not accused of any misconduct individually, managing director Yannis Mallat left the company in the wake of the complaints. 'The recent allegations that have come to light in Canada against multiple employees make it impossible for him to continue in this position,' Ubisoft said in a statement reported by Bloomberg at the time. Global head of human resources Cécile Cornet was not accused of any misconduct personally but also departed Ubisoft and her division was reorganised. Chief creative officer Hascoët also departed at the time of Mallat and Cornet, and was last week found guilty in a French court of psychological harassment and complicity in sexual harassment. 'These departures come following the initiation of a rigorous review that the Company initiated in response to recent allegations and accusations of misconduct and inappropriate behaviour,' according to the Ubisoft statement to Bloomberg in 2020. According to Bloomberg, it was the 'most significant executive exodus in the $US150 billion industry since the #MeToo movement started gathering momentum'. The company proceeded to launch an internal inquiry. Following this, Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot announced a plan to overhaul the company's creative editorial team, adding that his 'goal is to create an inclusive and open culture that embraces more diverse and multidisciplinary expertise'. This series of events culminated in the recent trial in Bobigny, in which Serge Hascoët, former Ubisoft game director Guillaume Patrux, and former Ubisoft editorial vice-president Thomas François were found guilty of enabling a culture of bullying and sexual harassment within the company. What were the results of the trial? Thomas François was found guilty of sexual harassment, psychological harassment and an attempted sexual assault, and was given a three-year suspended prison sentence and fined more than $53,000. Serge Hascoët was acquitted of sexual harassment and complicity in psychological harassment, but was found guilty of psychological harassment and complicity in sexual harassment. He was given an 18-month suspended sentence and a fine of more than $80,000. Guillaume Patrux was found guilty of psychological harassment and given a 12-month suspended sentence and a fine of more than $17,000. Could this foster real change? UNSW associate professor Michael Kasumovic, who has researched gender differences in video games, says this could be a turning point within the industry, particularly as games companies continue to realise that gender equity is not only positive socially, but also financially. 'Many companies are interested in improving the STEM pipeline to increase diversity on their teams. And with social media, people are more willing to share their experiences,' he says. 'This [Ubisoft] trial could definitely speed things up, especially in Europe, where they're cracking down on such things more strongly.' Dr Susannah Emery, a lecturer in game design and digital media at the University of South Australia, also thinks this trial will show game companies there are legal consequences for poor workplace practices, but emphasises it won't fix everything. 'For a long time, the games industry has been dominated and controlled by certain voices and cultures, and when those are the people making the games, those are the voices amplified within the games they make,' Emery says. 'Everything else is seen as an exception to this 'norm' – women make up about half of all game players, but in Australia, only make up around 21 per cent of game developers. Loading 'Real action in this space has been slow because the systems controlling this, such as leadership and the laws, weren't built with safety or equity in mind. This is starting to change due to verdicts like this, but there's still a lot of work to do be done here.' The fallout from both GamerGate and the #MeToo movement has resulted in greater regulation within companies, including the implementation of moderation, the ability for gamers to modify their voice, and bans. A spokesperson at the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, Australia's peak industry body representing the video games industry, says creative environments flourish when people feel supported and empowered. 'All employees deserve a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace; one free from harassment, discrimination and intimidation ... It's vital that all workplaces within our sector continuously examine and strengthen their culture to uphold the highest standards and foster spaces where creativity and talent can thrive.' However, Kasumovic notes this is not just an issue within the video game industry, but a broader societal issue. 'One of the biggest things that needs to happen now is the education of young men so they realise their value isn't determined by their ability to compete,' he says. 'This is difficult because there are still so many spaces that allow men to behave in overtly aggressive and male-dominating ways … Society must continue to punish individuals who behave this way. Young people need to see and understand this sort of behaviour is unacceptable. 'Unfortunately, if history tells us anything, we have a long way to go.'
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India.com
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Gold Diggers Or Scapegoats? Why This Chinese Video Game Sparking Outrage Among Women, Fuelling Suicide Fears
New Delhi: A young woman sits across the screen. Her voice cuts through the silence. 'He is more obedient than a dog. Wish there were more idiots like him.' The words are not real. They are part of a game. But their sting is very real. And in China, women are feeling it. The game is called Revenge on Gold Diggers. Players step into the shoes of men. Women appear as charming manipulators. Their smiles hide greed. Their intentions point to wallets. Every choice the male player makes decides what happens next. Within hours of its launch in June, it topped Steam's trending chart. Downloads soared so did criticism. Anger came fast and loud. The game, many said, insulted women. Painted them as liars. Used their image to tell a story soaked in prejudice. Others defended it. Claimed it warned men of emotional traps and heartbreak-for-profit scams. But the backlash snowballed. The very next day, the developers quietly renamed it Emotional Anti-Fraud Simulator. Too late. Damage done. Mark Hu, the director of the game, vanished from several Chinese social platforms. His name disappeared like a ghost. Platforms took no chances. In a brief statement, the creators insisted they meant no harm. They said they wanted to open a conversation. Something honest. Something about modern love and blurred lines. But few believed that. Artist Xu Yikun did not buy it. She saw it as a calculated move. A business built on rage-clicks. She spoke about the word 'gold digger'. She called it poison. A label soaked in contempt. Easy to say and hard to erase. She spoke softly but clearly. 'You date a rich man, they call you a gold digger. You wear makeup, same thing. Sometimes, even accepting a drink can earn you that name.' The room she sat in was quiet, but her words were not. Across China, media outlets clashed. In Hubei, a local newspaper slammed the game and called it sexist and dangerous. Beijing Youth Daily took the opposite route. It praised the creativity. Cited statistics. Over 2 billion yuan lost to romance scams in 2023, it said. This, to them, was timely storytelling. The editorial ended with a sharp sentence. 'We must stop emotional fraud before it spreads.' Still, the game flew off digital shelves. It climbed to the top 10 among all PC games in China. Surpassed even 'Black Myth: Wukong', long considered a gaming legend. A 28-year-old man defended it. Said the hate made no sense. 'If you are not a gold digger, what is the problem?' he asked. To him, the developers were bold, fearless and willing to touch topics people avoided. Topics that made people flinch. But for many women, this was not just a topic. This was their life, fear and anger. Some think the game was inspired by a real story. A Chinese man. A heartbreak. A tragic end. They call him 'Fat Cat' online. After his breakup, he died by suicide. His story went viral. People blamed his ex. Called her a gold digger. Turned her into a villain. The police later dismissed those claims. But the damage had already settled into the public mind. Women speaking to BBC described their fears. Quietly. Without showing their names. They feared this game would make things worse. That it would harden the belief that women belong in homes. That their role should end at being wives. Or mothers. That money belongs to men. That love is a transaction. Many blamed China's politics. The ruling Communist Party. The speeches from Xi Jinping. His repeated calls for women to be 'good wives and good mothers'. That narrative, they said, was not new. But the game added fuel. Activists asking for gender equality have faced pressure. Some were silenced. Some pushed underground. The fear hangs heavy. One woman, hiding behind an alias, summed up her pain. 'This game does not just show women as liars. It turns us into enemies. It shows we survive only by pleasing men. That we stand below them. Always have. Always will.' That is not just a game. That is a wound. And for many, it is still bleeding.
The Star
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Hangzhou's backyard boom: The new cradle of Chinese tech startups
HANGZHOU, China: It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and dozens of people sat in the grass around a backyard stage where aspiring founders of tech startups talked about their ideas. People in the crowd slouched over laptops, vaping and drinking strawberry Frappuccinos. A drone buzzed overhead. Inside the house, investors took pitches in the kitchen. It looked like Silicon Valley, but it was Liangzhu, a quiet suburb of the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou, which is a hot spot for entrepreneurs and tech talent lured by low rents and proximity to tech companies like Alibaba and DeepSeek. 'People come here to explore their own possibilities,' said Felix Tao, 36, a former Facebook and Alibaba employee who hosted the event. Tao, who worked for Facebook and Alibaba before founding Mindverse, at Alibaba Innovation Park in Hangzhou, China. Virtually all of those possibilities involve artificial intelligence. As China faces off with the United States over tech primacy, Hangzhou has become the center of China's AI frenzy. A decade ago, the provincial and local governments started offering subsidies and tax breaks to new companies in Hangzhou, a policy that has helped incubate hundreds of startups. On weekends, people fly in from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to hire programmers. Lately, many of them have ended up in Tao's backyard. He helped found an AI research lab at Alibaba before leaving to start his own company, Mindverse, in 2022. Now Tao's home is a hub for coders who have settled in Liangzhu, many in their 20s and 30s. They call themselves 'villagers,' writing code in coffee shops during the day and gaming together at night, hoping to harness AI to create their own companies. Hangzhou has already birthed tech powerhouses, not only Alibaba and DeepSeek but also NetEase and Hikvision. One of the many cafes that become hubs for coding during the day, in Hangzhou, China. In January, DeepSeek shook the tech world when it released an AI system that it said it had made for a small fraction of the cost that Silicon Valley companies had spent on their own. Since then, systems made by DeepSeek and Alibaba have ranked among the top-performing open source AI models in the world, meaning they are available for anyone to build on. Graduates from Hangzhou's Zhejiang University, where DeepSeek's founder studied, have become sought-after employees at Chinese tech companies. Chinese media closely followed the poaching of a core member of DeepSeek's team by the electronics company Xiaomi. In Liangzhu, many engineers said they were killing time until they could create their own startups, waiting out noncompete agreements they had signed at bigger companies like ByteDance. DeepSeek is one of six AI and robotics startups from the city that Chinese media calls the 'six tigers of Hangzhou.' Last year, one of the six, Game Science, released China's first big-budget video game to become a global hit, Black Myth: Wukong. Another firm, Unitree, grabbed public attention in January when its robots danced onstage during the Chinese state broadcaster's televised annual spring gala. Alibaba Innovation Park, a complex the tech giant leases to other tech firms, in Hangzhou, China. This spring, Mingming Zhu, the founder of Rokid, a Hangzhou startup that makes AI-enabled eyeglasses, invited the six founders to his home for dinner. It was the first time they had all met in person, Zhu said. Like him, most of the six had studied at Zhejiang University or worked at Alibaba. 'When we started, we were small fish,' Zhu said. 'But even then, the government helped out.' He said government officials had helped him connect with Rokid's earliest investors, including Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba. But some said the government support for Hangzhou's tech scene had scared off some investors. Several company founders, who asked not to be named so they could discuss sensitive topics, said it was difficult for them to attract funds from foreign venture capital firms, frustrating their ambitions to grow outside China. The nightmare situation, they said, would be to end up like ByteDance, the Chinese parent of TikTok, whose executives have been questioned before Congress about the company's ties to the Chinese government. Founders described choosing between two paths for their companies' growth: Take government funding and tailor their product to the Chinese market, or raise enough money on their own to set up offices in a country like Singapore to pitch foreign investors. For most, the first was the only feasible option. Another uncertainty is access to the advanced computer chips that power artificial intelligence systems. Washington has spent years trying to prevent Chinese companies from buying these chips, and Chinese companies like Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. are racing to produce their own. A promenade at Dream Town, a facility for startups and one of the numerous investments in tech made by the country's government, in Hangzhou, China. So far, the Chinese-made chips work well enough to help companies like ByteDance provide some of their AI services in China. Many Chinese companies have created stockpiles of Nvidia chips despite Washington's controls. But it is not clear how long that supply will last, or how quickly China's chipmakers can catch up to their American counterparts. A seemingly inescapable concept in Hangzhou is 'agentic AI,' the idea that an artificial intelligence system could be directed to act on its own. Qian Roy, another Hangzhou entrepreneur, has developed an AI-enabled digital companion for young people that responds to their moods based on information from the Myers-Briggs personality test, which is popular among young people in China. His team programmed his app, All Time, using publicly available AI systems, including those made by DeepSeek, Alibaba and Anthropic, an American startup. Mindverse, the company cofounded by Tao, who hosted the backyard event, is working on a product that would use AI to help people manage their lives. It can send supportive daily emails to colleagues, for example, or regular text messages to parents reminiscing about family vacations. Commuters on one of several subway lines that service Alibaba's headquarters and other surrounding tech companies, in Hangzhou, China. 'I don't want the AI to just handle tasks, but to actually give you more mental space so you can unplug,' Tao said. Many in the crowd in Tao's backyard said the atmosphere in Hangzhou, set on the banks of a lake that was muse to generations of Chinese poets and painters, fueled their creativity. Lin Yuanlin started his company, Zeabur, while studying at Zhejiang University. His company provides back-end systems to people who are making apps and websites by 'vibecoding,' or using AI tools to program without deep software knowledge. Liangzhu is the perfect testing ground for his product, Lin said. He can lean over to someone in a coffee shop or wander into a neighbour's living room and learn what kind of support they need for their startups. Lin found himself going to Liangzhu so often that he moved there. Visitors by West Lake in Hangzhou, China. Many in the crowd in Tao's backyard said the atmosphere in Hangzhou, set on the banks of a lake that was muse to generations of Chinese poets and painters, fueled their creativity. Liangzhu villagers have been hosting film nights. They had recently gathered to watch The Matrix . Afterward, they decided the movie should be required viewing, Lin said. Its theme – people finding their way out of a vast system controlling society – provided spot-on inspiration. Aspiring founders in Liangzhu, even those who did not go to top universities, believe they could start the next world-changing tech company, Tao said. 'Many of them are super brave to make a choice to explore their own way, because in China that is not the common way to live your life.' – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
The coder ‘village' at the heart of China's AI frenzy
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and dozens of people sat in the grass around a backyard stage where aspiring founders of tech startups talked about their ideas. People in the crowd slouched over laptops, vaping and drinking strawberry Frappuccinos. A drone buzzed overhead. Inside the house, investors took pitches in the kitchen. It looked like Silicon Valley, but it was Liangzhu, a quiet suburb of the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou, which is a hot spot for entrepreneurs and tech talent lured by low rents and proximity to tech companies like Alibaba and DeepSeek. 'People come here to explore their own possibilities,' said Felix Tao, 36, a former Facebook and Alibaba employee who hosted the event. Virtually all of those possibilities involve artificial intelligence. As China faces off with the United States over tech primacy, Hangzhou has become the center of China's AI frenzy. A decade ago, the provincial and local governments started offering subsidies and tax breaks to new companies in Hangzhou, a policy that has helped incubate hundreds of startups. On weekends, people fly in from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to hire programmers. Lately, many of them have ended up in Tao's backyard. He helped found an AI research lab at Alibaba before leaving to start his own company, Mindverse, in 2022. Now Tao's home is a hub for coders who have settled in Liangzhu, many in their 20s and 30s. They call themselves 'villagers,' writing code in coffee shops during the day and gaming together at night, hoping to harness AI to create their own companies. Hangzhou has already birthed tech powerhouses, not only Alibaba and DeepSeek but also NetEase and Hikvision. In January, DeepSeek shook the tech world when it released an AI system that it said it had made for a small fraction of the cost that Silicon Valley companies had spent on their own. Since then, systems made by DeepSeek and Alibaba have ranked among the top-performing open source AI models in the world, meaning they are available for anyone to build on. Graduates from Hangzhou's Zhejiang University, where DeepSeek's founder studied, have become sought-after employees at Chinese tech companies. Chinese media closely followed the poaching of a core member of DeepSeek's team by the electronics company Xiaomi. In Liangzhu, many engineers said they were killing time until they could create their own startups, waiting out noncompete agreements they had signed at bigger companies like ByteDance. DeepSeek is one of six AI and robotics startups from the city that Chinese media calls the 'six tigers of Hangzhou.' Last year, one of the six, Game Science, released China's first big-budget video game to become a global hit, Black Myth: Wukong. Another firm, Unitree, grabbed public attention in January when its robots danced onstage during the Chinese state broadcaster's televised annual spring gala. This spring, Mingming Zhu, the founder of Rokid, a Hangzhou startup that makes AI-enabled eyeglasses, invited the six founders to his home for dinner. It was the first time they had all met in person, Zhu said. Like him, most of the six had studied at Zhejiang University or worked at Alibaba. 'When we started, we were small fish,' Zhu said. 'But even then, the government helped out.' He said government officials had helped him connect with Rokid's earliest investors, including Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba. But some said the government support for Hangzhou's tech scene had scared off some investors. Several company founders, who asked not to be named so they could discuss sensitive topics, said it was difficult for them to attract funds from foreign venture capital firms, frustrating their ambitions to grow outside China. The nightmare situation, they said, would be to end up like ByteDance, the Chinese parent of TikTok, whose executives have been questioned before Congress about the company's ties to the Chinese government. Founders described choosing between two paths for their companies' growth: Take government funding and tailor their product to the Chinese market, or raise enough money on their own to set up offices in a country like Singapore to pitch foreign investors. For most, the first was the only feasible option. Another uncertainty is access to the advanced computer chips that power artificial intelligence systems. Washington has spent years trying to prevent Chinese companies from buying these chips, and Chinese companies like Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. are racing to produce their own. So far, the Chinese-made chips work well enough to help companies like ByteDance provide some of their AI services in China. Many Chinese companies have created stockpiles of Nvidia chips despite Washington's controls. But it is not clear how long that supply will last, or how quickly China's chipmakers can catch up to their American counterparts. A seemingly inescapable concept in Hangzhou is 'agentic AI,' the idea that an artificial intelligence system could be directed to act on its own. Qian Roy, another Hangzhou entrepreneur, has developed an AI-enabled digital companion for young people that responds to their moods based on information from the Myers-Briggs personality test, which is popular among young people in China. His team programmed his app, All Time, using publicly available AI systems, including those made by DeepSeek, Alibaba and Anthropic, an American startup. Mindverse, the company cofounded by Tao, who hosted the backyard event, is working on a product that would use AI to help people manage their lives. It can send supportive daily emails to colleagues, for example, or regular text messages to parents reminiscing about family vacations. 'I don't want the AI to just handle tasks, but to actually give you more mental space so you can unplug,' Tao said. Many in the crowd in Tao's backyard said the atmosphere in Hangzhou, set on the banks of a lake that was muse to generations of Chinese poets and painters, fueled their creativity. Lin Yuanlin started his company, Zeabur, while studying at Zhejiang University. His company provides back-end systems to people who are making apps and websites by 'vibecoding,' or using AI tools to program without deep software knowledge. Liangzhu is the perfect testing ground for his product, Lin said. He can lean over to someone in a coffee shop or wander into a neighbor's living room and learn what kind of support they need for their startups. Lin found himself going to Liangzhu so often that he moved there. Liangzhu villagers have been hosting film nights. They had recently gathered to watch 'The Matrix.' Afterward, they decided the movie should be required viewing, Lin said. Its theme — people finding their way out of a vast system controlling society — provided spot-on inspiration. Aspiring founders in Liangzhu, even those who did not go to top universities, believe they could start the next world-changing tech company, Tao said. 'Many of them are super brave to make a choice to explore their own way, because in China that is not the common way to live your life.'
