Analyse Asia with Bernard Leong Bernard Leong

"So already this year we've rolled out 10 of these regions. So two in APJ and Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. But 75 of these locations by the end of the year along with our core computing regions will give us 100 locations where customers can run these workloads, and we're not going to stop there. So we're going to have hundreds of these regions over the next few years, and we're going to focus on those locations where hyper-scalers don't have compute. Africa and South America, for example, have been extremely underserved when it comes to computing capabilities. There's a huge potential for those countries if we could get them the compute. And that's exactly what we intend to do. But, those are extreme regions. Even in places like the U.S., which are well served by the hyper-scalers, there's certainly the middle of the U.S. which is ignored. In Southeast Asia, if you're in Singapore or Jakarta, you're served by everybody. But if you're in Vietnam, how are you served? If you're in Thailand, how are you served? The internet is inherently unfair. We want to make it more fair for our customers and our customers' customers." - Jay Jenkins Fresh off the studio, Jay Jenkins, CTO of Cloud Computing in Akamai, dives deep into the transformative potential of edge AI in a dynamic conversation on Akamai's latest technological advancements. Discussing the company's strategic edge computing platform, Gecko, Jenkins describes how it is redefining cloud computing paradigms by embedding capabilities directly into the edge network. He explores the broader implications of edge AI for real-time applications and generative AI technologies, highlighting Akamai's vision to support the burgeoning demands of data processing and AI inferencing at the network edge. With insights into early trials and future use cases, he shares how Akamai is set to revolutionize industries, from immersive retail to spatial computing and explores what great would look like for Akamai in cloud computing and AI at the edge.
Episode Highlights:
[0:40] Quote of the Day #QOTD by Jay Jenkins.
[1:45] Introduction: Jay Jenkins, CTO of Cloud Computing from Akamai.
[4:29] Lessons learnt from Jay’s career journey.
[6:31] Total Market Opportunity for AI at the Edge and Akamai’s value proposition.
[8:55] Introduction to Akamai and its global footprint.
[11:18] Jay’s role as global CTO in Cloud Computing and future vision.
[16:23] Generalized Edge Compute aka Gecko and why it differs from the hyper-scalers such as AWS.
[19:53] How Gecko enhances the user experience in terms of performance and latency.
[22:59] Challenges to integrate cloud native computing at a massive edge network.
[25:38] Lessons learned from Gecko’s early trials with enterprise customers of Akamai.
[28:01] Applications of Gecko beyond immersive retail.
[30:33] The One Thing that Jay knows about Gecko in generalized edge computing that very few do.
[33:07] Generative AI with Akamai Gecko’s platform.
[37:30] Inference at the edge with Large Language Models (LLMs).
[39:41] Role of Edge Computing for real-time AI processes.
[41:47] What does great look like for Akamai in the cloud computing space?
[43:53] Closing.
Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig
Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia
Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl
Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245
Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia
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"The one thing that has become quite clear in Asia, at least it's direct to retail - the government is not ready. The market is not ready. And there still needs to be a very high level of consumer protection. A lot more of a B2B-to-C approach. Where, let's say today's Web3 companies will need to partner up with existing licensed entities, whether they be licensed startups or even licensed institutions to provide their offerings to the retail. That's actually really good. Because it provides safeguards. We saw what happened last time when we didn't have those safeguards. So many retail investors lost money in FTX's spectacular blow-up, right? And that really hurt the space, that really hurt the trust, it really hurt the reputation of the space. So directionally it is inconvenient but necessary. For governments to I would say slow down or make access to retail a lot harder. Like in Singapore, we don't see any upcoming movements that crypto is going to be available to retail or easily available to retail anytime soon. We see the same in Hong Kong. The exception would of course be Dubai, but that's already more on the Middle East part, right? And then in the US, it's like a witch hunt. Basically, the long story short is it's still going to be very B2B2C driven, where the interface towards the masses, the retail, will still lie within licensed institutions." - Qin En Looi Fresh out of the studio, Qin En Looi, partner of Saison Capital, dives deep into the current developments and the future of Crypto and Web3 investments. He began with an overview of Saison Capital and its investment thesis. He shares how Saison Capital invests in the fintech and crypto space, and the current emergence of real-world asset (RWA) monetization, specifically in the tokenizing of physical assets on the chain. Last but not least, he shares what great would look like for Saison Capital.
Episode Highlights:
[0:00] Quote of the Day by Qin En Loi. #QOTD
[1:20] Introduction: Qin En Looi from Saison Capital.
[4:09] From entrepreneur to VC.
[5:40] Lessons from Qin En’s career journey.
[7:15] Overview of Saison Capital as a corporate VC and investment thesis.
[11:10] Definition of Crypto, Web3 and Real World Assets (RWA) monetization.
[14:40] Typical day as a VC for Qin En Looi.
[17:53] Choice of Blockchains (L2, Alt-L1) for Development.
[22:02] Web 2.0 vs Web3.
[23:07] Case studies in Web3 and Crypto.
[26:54] How Web3 model can reduce operational costs in TradFi.
[31:27] Challenges of RWA in different crypto markets.
[35:26] Fractional Ownership and Illiquidity in RWA.
[36:02] Trends in Web3/Crypto and RWA.
[39:45] The one thing that Qin En Looi know about RWA and Web3.
[41:45] Role of Web3 in the Finance Industry.
[43:06] What does great look like for Saison Capital?
[43:45] Closing
Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig
Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia
Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl
Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245
Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia
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"The key thing that I realize every time I look at the data is that the media is telling us a lot of nonsense. I think that the one thing I know is that the data tells a very different story to the media headlines. So I suppose my advice there is, never to accept clickbait at face value. If you're building a marketing plan, do your due diligence, and check the data because the data always surprises me. The one thing I know is that I'm always surprised. There's your key takeaway.” - Simon Kemp Fresh out of the studio, Simon Kemp, co-founder and CEO of Kepios joined us for the 7th year to discuss the Digital Report 2024 and its pivotal insights. The dialogue kicked off with Simon pondering AI's potential impact on his job, then swiftly moved to the report's core findings. Simon also explored how digital marketing and content strategies are evolving due to generational differences, underscoring the necessity for content creators to adapt across diverse social media channels. Last but not least, Simon addressed the current lack of comprehensive data to include generative AI in this year's report. Last but not least, Simon shared his anticipation for what's on the horizon in the coming year.
Episode Highlights:
[0:55] Quote of the Day #QOTD by Simon Kemp.
[1:22] Introduction to Simon Kemp, co-founder and CEO of Kepios.
[2:59] Are we going to be replaced by AI?
[3:57] Key Takeaways for Digital 2024 report.
[5:14] TikTok is still growing quickly despite the headwinds.
[10:20] Mobile and social media are still growing especially in India.
[12:43] Trendlines for e-commerce and search engine use.
[15:22] How do you add generative AI to search engine use, for example, Perplexity AI?
[17:51] Do generational differences in online behaviour change how digital marketing and content strategies work?
[21:14] How do content creators adapt and decide which social media platforms to use?
[23:43] Why the horizontal approach of broadcasting across all social media does not work anymore?
[28:16] Success on any social media platform is based on chance and preparation.
[32:04] Implications of TikTok’s potential ban in the US and how users shift from one platform to another.
[35:25] From X (formerly known as Twitter) to Threads and TikTok to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
[36:39] Insights on WeChat, Discord, and Telegram.
[44:59] LinkedIn: a B2B social media platform for engagement but don’t discount YouTube.
[48:57] The One Thing that Simon Kemp knows about Digital Report 2024 that very few do?
[50:04] Why Generative AI usage is not in the Digital 2024 report.
[54:59] Is Generative AI a new paradigm or should it be incorporated into existing digital use cases?
[60:30] How Generative AI changes digital marketing, branding and advertising.
[64:17] What Simon wished to add in the Digital 2024 but could not.
[65:40] Closing.
You can find Simon Kemp at X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/eskimon and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eskimon/ and the Digital Report 2024: https://wearesocial.com/sg/blog/2024/01/digital-2024-5-billion-social-media-users/
Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig.
Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia
Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl
Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245
Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia
Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/
Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia
Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia
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"If we assume that happens, I'm sure TikTok, let alone ByteDance as a company as a whole, will survive - and maybe even continue to thrive after this. Because, let's put things into perspective, right? TikTok has more than 1 billion users globally and then the US represents just a little over a 10th of that, 170 million. So I'm not saying that it's not going to impact TikTok and ByteDance. But does it pose an existential threat? Probably not. I believe given we already talked about how ByteDance has been super profitable. I think that, even if they get banned in the US, this is by no means the end of TikTok or ByteDance." - Jing Yang Fresh out of the studio, Jing Yang, the Asia Bureau Chief for The Information, provided an insightful analysis of the potential implications of the recent U.S. House of Representatives bill to force Bytedance to divest TikTok or face a ban in the US. Detailing a timeline of events, she illuminated how Bytedance and TikTok executives may have misinterpreted U.S. political signals. Despite Bytedance's profitability in China, she shed light on why TikTok is facing financial challenges and the complex dynamics between Bytedance and the investors of the company. Concluding her discussion, she offered her perspectives on the possible future of TikTok globally pending the outcome.
Episode Highlights:
[0:40] Quote of the Day by Jing Yang.
[1:27] Introduction: Jing Yang, Asia Bureau Chief of The Information.
[3:53] Lessons shared by Jing Yang from her career journey.
[5:19] Chronology of the different attempts by the US government to ban TikTok.
[7:40] What are the chances of TikTok being banned in the US?
[9:34] TikTok’s response to the US government after the announcement of the bill.
[11:15] Impact of TikTok's potential ban in the US on content creators & users in the market.
[12:52] The one thing that Jing Yang knows about the TikTok situation very few do.
[14:10] Why TikTok misjudged the political situation in the US.
[17:59] Project Texas and how it encumbered TikTok.
[22:17] TikTok’s engagement with USDS.
[25:14] Chew Shou Zi’s impact on negotiations with the US government after taking over as CEO of TikTok.
[27:45] Assessment of Bytedance and TikTok’s team in handling the US government.
[30:04] Why TikTok is in the red and losing money.
[32:55] Can TikTok still be profitable with a potential US ban?
[36:04] Investors of TikTok distancing themselves from the company.
[40:26] Impact of political affiliations and donations on TikTok.
[41:43] Future of TikTok
[42:43] Closing
You can find Jing Yang at X (formerly known as Twitter): https://x.com/jingyanghk and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jing-yang-33548123/ and her articles on The Information: https://www.theinformation.com/u/Jing%20Yang?rc=fk3gq1
Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig.
Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia
Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl 
Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 
Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia
Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/
Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia

"When I wrote about it, in addition to assuming that all Asia tech companies, particularly in China, were copycats of Western companies, I think there are also a lot of misperceptions about how easy it is to enter a market, especially when they're an Asian market, especially when there are incumbent players already. For example, Uber failed. Basically, they failed. That's a harsh word, but they failed in both China and Southeast Asia, where they were acquired by Didi in China and Grab in Southeast Asia. And then Facebook really fell flat on its face with a lot of markets with free basics, it undermined Net Neutrality and also assumed that consumers just because maybe they had to be price conscious, were willing to access only a handful of sites as opposed to having access to a free Internet. I think people also underestimate the influence that Asia has had in other parts of the world." - Catherine Shu Fresh out of the studio, Catherine Shu reflects on her 12 years at TechCrunch, chronicling the evolution of Asian tech from China to India. She highlights the rise of Chinese apps such as WeChat and TikTok's global impact and the shifting international views on Chinese tech. She explores India's rising tech scene, South Korea's startup growth with the rise of Coupang and Southeast Asia's expanding tech influence, with a focus on Grab. Shu offers her advice for journalists covering Asia's dynamic tech landscape and articulating what great looks like for Asia Tech in the future.
Fresh out of the studio, Catherine Shu reflects on her 12 years at TechCrunch, chronicling the evolution of Asian tech from China to India. She highlights the rise of Chinese apps such as WeChat and TikTok's global impact and the shifting international views on Chinese tech. She explores India's rising tech scene, South Korea's startup growth with the rise of Coupang and Southeast Asia's expanding tech influence, with a focus on Grab. Shu offers her advice for journalists covering Asia's dynamic tech landscape and articulating what great looks like for Asia Tech in the future.
Audio Episode Highlights:
[0:40] Quote of the Day #QOTD by Catherine Shu.
[1:38] Introduction: Catherine Shu, former senior reporter for TechCrunch.
[2:50] Her thoughts on the TechCrunch recent layoff.
[5:04] Catherine’s future plans.
[6:34] Catherine shares lessons from her career journey.
[8:07] Inspiration behind her last article on TechCrunch: Don’t Ignore Asia Tech.
[9:30] Western Perceptions Change on Asia Tech over the decade.
[11:02] Early misconceptions about Asia Tech in the West.
[12:44] Evolution of Asia Tech from Catherine’s perspective.
[15:14] Tech Coverage in Taiwan.
[17:17] The one thing about Asia tech Catherine knows but very few do.
[19:41] Why China succeeded with WeChat as the super app.
[23:26] The rise in TikTok globally for Chinese Tech.
[26:40] Perspectives on TikTok recent potential ban.
[27:26] What the West learned from the super app revolution in China.
[28:52] Why China was caught flatfooted with OpenAI’s ChatGPT in AI.
[30:14] The future of Chinese startups.
[34:01] How the Indian tech market evolved over the past decade.
[35:58] South Korean Startup Ecosystem.
[39:00] Is there really a Southeast Asia tech story?
[42:34] Advice for future correspondents covering Asia Tech.
[44:32] What does great look like for Asia Tech?
[46:30] Closing.
Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig
Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia
Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl
Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245
Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia
Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/
Analyse

“Let's remember if the leadership wants to do something, they have all the tools at their disposal and I don't think that they will want to underwrite massive unemployment. I think the Chinese leadership wants stability above all. So I will not rule out any kind of stimulus and perhaps it would look different than in the past. It will not go through the popular market, but it could well happen that you will see greater lending, perhaps in a select industries like autos or semiconductors, whatever it might be. But I've seen so many cycles at this point. I started investing in China in 2008. And 2007 was a boom, 2010, another boom, 2013 was a low in the Asian market. It felt very much like today. I would go to these conferences and meet local investors and they were just so despondent. I feel very much the same kind of sentiment today. People say there's nothing, they can't see anything positive and that's fine, but we can't predict the future.” - Michael Fritzell Fresh out of the studio, Michael Fritzell, Founder of Asian Century Stocks, shared invaluable insights in Asia's financial markets and discussed the recent tumultuous situation in Chinese equities and what the potential government responses are possible. He provided a high-level overview of the Asian stock market, contrasting it with markets in the US and Europe and stressed the importance of understanding corporate governance and the role of short-sellers in exposing corporate frauds in Asian markets. He delved deep with his unique insights into forensic accounting challenges and the future potential of Asian stocks and the dynamic and intricate nature of these evolving markets.
Audio Episode Highlights:
[0:40] Quote of the Day: Michael Fritzell.
[1:56] Introduction: Michael Fritzell from Asian Century Stocks.
[4:59] Perspectives on Asia after living here for over a decade.
[6:28] Lessons from Michael’s career journey.
[8:15] What just happened with the Chinese equities tanking in the stock market?
[13:43] The response from the Chinese government to stabilize the stock market.
[17:14] Should we be optimistic about the Chinese publicly listed companies?
[19:40] An Introduction to the Asian Stock Markets.
[23:47] The motivation behind Asian Century Stocks.
[25:32] The intended audience for Asian Century Stocks.
[26:40] How do subscribers utilize Asian Century Stocks?
[28:52] What are the things to watch out for when buying Asian stocks.
[31:42] The one thing that Michael Fritzell knows about Asian stocks that very few do.
[33:24] Understanding Fraud in Asian Companies.
[37:05] Key indicators to watch out for in Asian Companies.
[40:58] The role of short-sellers on Asian stocks (including China).
[44:51] How do short-sellers short Asian stocks?
[46:28] What does great look like for Asian stocks in the next decade?
[48:57] Closing.
You can find Michael Fritzell's Asian Century Stocks: https://www.asiancenturystocks.com/  and on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-fritzell-1aab10/  and X: https://twitter.com/mikefritzell 
Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig
Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia
Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl 
Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 
Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia 
Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia 
Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia
Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia 
Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter:
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