Author: Zicheng
Interpretation of TO news
Apple will lay off more than 600 employees
According to CCTV financial news, Apple laid off more than 600 employees due to the suspension of the self-driving electric vehicle project. It is understood that Apple has invested billions of dollars to develop a fully self-driving car without a steering wheel and pedals.
However, the company has never publicly acknowledged the existence of the project. Companies such as Ford and General Motors have reportedly slowed down the development of self-driving cars as costs rise.
Translation: In fact, not only Apple, but also the number of layoffs in the U.S. tech industry has reached its highest level since the dot-com bubble burst.
Over the past year, the tech world has undergone an unprecedented transformation with far-reaching and complex implications.
Overall, last year was the second-highest number of layoffs in the tech industry's history, after the dot-com bubble burst in 2001, the data showed. Since the astonishing collapse of Pets.com, eToys, and Webvan, not so many tech workers have lost their jobs in such a short period of time.
According to Layoffs.fyi, in 2023, the tech industry saw a wave of layoffs that hit more than 1,150 companies, causing more than 260,000 employees to lose their jobs, a figure that increased by more than 50% from the previous year. This wave of layoffs has swept through tech giants including Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and others, showing a huge realignment within the industry.
Heading into 2024, the tech industry's layoff storm has not subsided. According to the latest data from Layoffs.fyi, about 32,000 employees have been forced to leave their jobs so far this year.
Recently, Snap announced plans to lay off about 10% of its workforce on Monday, involving about 540 employees. In addition, software company Okta also announced that it would lay off 7% of its workforce to cut costs, affecting about 400 employees.
Big tech companies such as Amazon, Salesforce and Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms, are also on the latest layoff list.
Roger Lee, founder of Layoffs.fyi, believes that the current wave of layoffs is an adjustment for tech companies to over-hire during the peak of the pandemic. He noted that these companies have had to adjust due to the persistence of the high interest rate environment and the prolonged downturn in the tech sector as a whole.
Lee further noted that this year's layoffs are more precise and relatively small compared to last year. While economic factors were the main drivers of layoffs, he highlighted that the alignment of resources needed to compete in the artificial intelligence (AI) space was also a significant factor in the layoffs.
Meanwhile, according to CompTIA, job postings requiring AI skills have increased by about 2,000 in the past month, bringing the total to 17,479. This trend shows that even while some jobs are being cut, the tech industry is still actively hiring in other areas such as AI, showing that the tech industry is in strong demand in specific areas.
This is a challenging time for employees who have been made redundant. In order to get a new position, many developers are leaving the tech industry altogether, and even engineers are compromising to accept less stable jobs with tougher working conditions and lower pay and benefits.
The first owner of Xiaomi SU7 was exposed
The first batch of Xiaomi SU7 delivery ceremony was held on April 3 in the final assembly workshop of Xiaomi Automobile Factory. According to the official account of Harbin World Joy City, invested and built by Beijing Linda Group, the first owner of Xiaomi SU7 is Li Xiaolin, a representative of the 13th National People's Congress, chairman of Shuanglinhui Business Club, and chairman of the board of directors of Linda Group. At the delivery ceremony, Lei Jun awarded Li Xiaolin the No. 0001 certificate of the first owner of Xiaomi SU7.
Interpretation: The eldest brother named Li Xiaolin is dressed in black, looks very simple and kind, like an old man who is about to go fishing, but in fact, his identity is very unusual, he is not only a successful entrepreneur, but also a famous philanthropist, and also the owner of the first luxury version of Rolls-Royce in China.
Li Xiaolin was born in a place called Qianliang Hutong in Beijing's Dongcheng District, and like most ordinary families, Li Xiaolin's family lived an extremely poor life.
The young man in the hutongs of Beijing is determined to protect his family and the country. In April 1969, Li Xiaolin, who had just graduated from middle school at the age of 16, bid farewell to his parents, packed his bags, and stepped on the train to the north, 2,000 kilometers away in Heilongjiang, 2,000 kilometers away, to become a glorious soldier of the Corps, defending the great rivers and mountains of the motherland's northern Xinjiang.
The six-year Corps years are regarded as the most valuable experience of his life, which also planted the seeds of courage, tenacity and determination for his future work in the shopping mall.
In 1976, after six years of uniform, Li Xiaolin returned to Beijing and worked for the People's Bank of China for 11 years.
Bathed in the trend of reform and opening up and the spring breeze, it will be difficult for the tide of the times to suppress their longing and impulse. Li Xiaolin, who is in his prime and has a bright future, resolutely gave up the great future that countless people envy, and did not hesitate to go to the sea to cross into the commercial wave.
At the beginning of going to sea, Li Xiaolin used 2,000 yuan in his family as start-up capital and earned the first pot of gold in his life. In 1987, after Li Xiaolin borrowed 200,000 yuan from a friend, he registered and established Linda Company in a façade house in Chaoyang District, Beijing.
In the 90s, China's real estate began to be marketized. Li Xiaolin once again seized a huge opportunity, he has studied the entrepreneurial history of many entrepreneurs, and found that the success of these entrepreneurs is almost inseparable from the real estate and financial industries.
With a keen business sense, Li Xiaolin began to invest in real estate in Beijing. At the same time, he also won five large and medium-sized enterprises through mergers and acquisitions, including Beijing Dongfeng TV Factory, Beijing Coal No. 4 Factory and Beijing Geological Instrument Factory, and then he successively developed projects such as Linda Building, Happy Apartment, Peony Garden, Ziyu Hotel, and Ocean Shinkansen in Beijing.
Lei Jun is also very generous this time, he did not keep this set of collectible first Xiaomi SU7 for himself, but left it to Li Xiaolin, and personally handed it over to the other party.
At the delivery ceremony, Li Xiaolin also said excitedly: "I am proud to be the owner of Xiaomi SU7 NO.0001, because this is China's national brand, the world's smartest new energy vehicle made by Chinese and Chinese enterprises, and won honor for our Chinese automobile industry." ”
TO Characters/Perspectives
The CEO of Zhiji wondered how Xiaomi built a car in 3 years: how to achieve such efficiency and high speed?
On April 6th, Liu Tao, co-CEO of Zhiji, posted on Weibo: Xiaomi car speed is indeed fast, three years from the platform to start the first vehicle, from the native platform to do research and development, 2-3 years of complicated vehicle and parts test and verification plan, no matter how to optimize it does not seem to be enough to row ah, who knows how to do it so efficient and high-speed?
For this question, there are different opinions in the comment area, and some bloggers said: This is the strength of China's industrial chain, complete facilities, perfect engineer reserves, the right selection of several key technical figures, enough budget, 3 years out of the car is not fast.
Some netizens said: As long as there are sufficient funds and talents, time is not a problem, this is the first car for Xiaomi, but for the engineers of Xiaomi cars, this may be the first car they have built. There are also points of view to explain the difference between traditional car manufacturers and Xiaomi: the difference between traditional car companies and connected car companies is that Xiaomi only needs to integrate the world's most cost-effective industrial chain, while the traditional one emphasizes independent development and core technology, while Xiaomi's core is the car machine and ecosystem.
Volkswagen's CEO says its electric vehicles can't maintain its lead in China, and its market share of more than 10% is "very impressive"
Volkswagen Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Oliver Bloom said in an interview with Germany's "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" on the 5th local time that Volkswagen hopes to avoid setting a "utopian" target for its market share in China, and that in a fierce competitive environment, it is already "very impressive" to have a market share of more than 10%. Volkswagen's overall market share in China reportedly fell from 18% in 2018 to 14% last year, while domestic EV makers are gaining market share.
Musk has denied that Tesla has abandoned plans to launch low-cost cars
There were reports that Tesla would abandon plans to launch low-cost cars, and then Musk denied this claim in a post on the social media platform X. It is reported that Tesla fell more than 2% at the beginning of the low opening, and it was reported that after Tesla canceled the plan to launch a cheap car, the stock price fell rapidly, falling 6.2% in early trading, after Musk denied that Tesla's stock price fell quickly to less than 3%, closing down 3.63% at $164.9, with a total market value of $524.204 billion.
Musk first proposed a $25,000 model at an event in September 2020. He said at the time that Tesla's series of innovations had given him confidence that the company could build an electric car at this price point in about three years. However, more than three years later, Tesla's lineup still lacks lower-priced models.
Elon Musk: Tesla plans to launch a driverless taxi on August 8
On April 6, Musk posted on the social media platform X that Tesla plans to launch a driverless taxi on August 8. The commitment to fully self-driving cars has long been key to Tesla's high valuation. In recent weeks, Tesla has released the latest version of its driver assistance software called Full Self-Driving (FSD) to consumers.
Tesla previously said that the next-generation vehicle platform will include lower-priced cars and fully self-driving taxis. Previously, it was reported in the media that the company abandoned plans to exit low-cost cars and instead devoted more resources to bringing driverless taxis to market as soon as possible. Musk responded by denying that he did not provide details.
CEO of the Saudi Exchange: Strengthen cooperation with the Chinese market in many aspects
On April 6, Mohammed Al-Rumaih, CEO of the Saudi Exchange, said: China is a very important market for us. We collaborate on index research such as index constituents, data analysis, corporate action, ESG, and we also exchange expertise. There are significant similarities between our market structures, which further strengthens our cooperation. In order to take the cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China to a new level, we actively encourage foreign issuers to consider listing on the Saudi capital market, and we have received enquiries through our efforts with partner exchanges. We are now looking to build the infrastructure to be able to have dual and cross-listing in multiple markets that we are interested in.
TO data speaks
Ministry of Culture and Tourism: During the Qingming holiday, 119 million domestic tourists traveled, and domestic tourists spent 53.95 billion yuan
On April 6, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, during the 2024 Qingming Festival holiday, the national cultural and tourism market will be safe, stable and orderly. According to the data center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, there were 119 million domestic tourists traveling during the three-day holiday, an increase of 11.5% over the same period in 2019 on a comparable basis, and domestic tourists spent 53.95 billion yuan on travel, an increase of 12.7% over the same period in 2019.
Interpretation: During this Qingming holiday, many tourist destinations are crowded.
According to the news released by a number of online travel platforms, as the first small holiday after the Spring Festival, the tourism market during the Qingming holiday ushered in a wave of small peaks of travel. According to the data disclosed by the cultural and tourism departments of many places and a number of scenic spots, the number of tourists received has increased significantly year-on-year. At the same time, tickets for many scenic spots were sold out in advance.
According to the news released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, self-driving, cycling, and hiking have become popular ways to travel during the Qingming holiday, and short-distance tours, peripheral tours, and local tours are favored.
According to Ctrip's data, during the Qingming holiday, domestic local travel and peripheral travel orders increased by 211% and 350% year-on-year respectively, and rural travel orders increased by 239% year-on-year for rural micro-tourism to return to the hometown to worship ancestors.
According to Tuniu's data, the peak of Qingming travel occurred on April 4, the first day of the holiday. More tourists chose short-distance trips of 1-2 days, accounting for nearly 71% of the trips, and more tourists chose peripheral tours, accounting for 50% of the trips. However, nearly 10% of tourists have chosen to travel for 4 days or more, and most of them travel in advance by combining vacations.
According to Meituan data, the average daily consumption scale of the Qingming holiday increased by 39% year-on-year, and the consumption scale of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu and other cities ranked among the top in the country.
In terms of destination selection, Tongcheng Travel data shows that Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing are the most popular domestic tourist destinations during the Qingming holiday. "Lower Jiangnan" has become a popular choice for tourists to travel during the Qingming Festival. Among them, the tourism popularity of Nanjing Qingming holiday increased by 29% year-on-year, and the tourism popularity of Suzhou increased by 25% year-on-year.
It is worth noting that during this year's Qingming holiday, emerging tourist destinations have become new hot spots for holidays.
According to data disclosed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the destination cities with an increase of more than 50% in tourist volume are Tai'an, Zibo, Tianshui, Kaifeng and Jingdezhen. Among them, Gansu Tianshui, which has recently been out of the circle due to spicy hot spots, continues to be "hot and hot", and the number of tourism orders has increased by more than 21 times year-on-year.
It can be seen that since March this year, the number of tourists received by Tianshui has reached a new high. According to the news released by the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism on April 6, since March, Tianshui City has received a total of 6.13 million tourists, achieving a comprehensive tourism income of 3.5 billion yuan.
In addition to Tianshui, Kaifeng, Zibo, Quanzhou, and many other small cities have also attracted much attention.
A researcher from Qunar Big Data Research Institute said: "With the younger generation of the main force in the tourism market, tourists' choice of destinations is diversifying, pursuing unique and recognizable products or scenes, and they are tired of the same ancient cities, check-in spots, and snacks. An old street, a vegetable market, and a unique food can all become the trigger for a city's 'explosion'.
Some industry insiders said that for the local area, if you want to convert traffic into consumption, you need to emphasize integrity, service, and impress tourists with sincerity and better service, so as to achieve a double harvest of reputation and economic benefits. ”
TO Corporation's movements
Vanke: After the completion of the implementation of Shenzhen's state-owned assets support measures, it is expected to help the company release more than 10 billion yuan of liquidity
In response to questions such as "Shenzhen Railway proposed a plan to inject 10 billion yuan of liquidity into Vanke at the third quarter performance meeting, how much has been injected, and does the Shenzhen Municipal Government have any other support plans?", Vanke replied on the interactive platform on April 5 that after the communication meeting, the Shenzhen SASAC coordinated a number of state-owned enterprises to connect with the company to market-oriented, In a law-based manner, we will promote the implementation of various specific support measures, including: helping to dispose of relatively illiquid real estate and long-term equity investments, subscribing to the Group's SCP Consumer Infrastructure REITs, promoting cooperation in multiple projects through industrial synergy between Shenzhen state-owned enterprises and companies, and actively coordinating financial resources to support the company. At present, some of these projects have been completed, some have been paid, and some are in the process of being gradually implemented. In the future, after all the implementation is completed, it is expected to help the company release liquidity at a scale of more than 10 billion.
Xiaomi Auto's response to the premium is close to more than 500,000 oil vehicles: it is not high compared with new energy vehicles
Xiaomi Auto released Xiaomi SU7 to answer questions from netizens (Episode 9). Regarding the proximity of insurance costs and more than 500,000 fuel vehicles, Xiaomi Auto responded: The terms of commercial insurance for new energy vehicles and fuel vehicles are different, and the exclusive "Terms" for new energy vehicles not only provide protection for the "three electrics" system, but also comprehensively cover the use scenarios of new energy vehicles driving, parking, charging and operation. In addition, it will be comprehensively calculated according to various factors such as new car/old car, brand, model, type of household, type of insurance, amount insured, etc., and the premium price is also different, so it cannot be simply compared by car price.
Douyin plans to acquire the payment license of Hailian Jinhui for more than 750 million yuan
On April 3, Hailian Jinhui announced that it intends to transfer its payment institution (UMF E-commerce Co., Ltd.) to the parent company of Douyin payment license (Wuhan Hezhong Yibao Technology Co., Ltd.), with the transaction price being the benchmark transfer consideration of 750 million yuan + net assets on the delivery date.
After the completion of this transaction, the payment institution will be merged by Hezhong Yibao. These transactions and mergers are subject to central bank approval. After the completion of this transaction, Douyin Pay will complete the bank card acquiring business license. The relevant person in charge of Douyin payment said that the transaction is to support offline transaction scenarios such as life services.
The "offline exclusive price" of Hema that has been launched for half a year has been cancelled, and the membership system is expected to return?
On April 6, it was reported that during the Qingming holiday, Ms. Lin, a citizen of Shanghai, visited the Hema Fresh Supermarket, but unexpectedly found that the "offline exclusive price" that had been launched for about half a year was canceled. "Since Hema has an offline exclusive price, when I pass by Hema, I will consciously go in and have a look, and now it has all returned to the original price, and the original offline discount is gone, is it a disguised price increase?" Ms. Lin couldn't help but wonder.
On April 5, it was learned from a number of Hema stores in Shanghai that since April, Hema stores have canceled the offline exclusive price, and the current price is basically the same online and offline. Some people close to Hema speculate that the cancellation of the offline exclusive price may be a warm-up of the new strategy after the recent change of Hema coach. On social platforms, the news about the resumption of the membership system of Hema has spread far and wide.
Xiaomi confirmed that the SU7 Standard Edition does not support the City NOA feature
On April 6th, Xiaomi Auto released Xiaomi SU7 Q&A questions from netizens (Episode 9) today (April 6), summarizing 14 questions that netizens are more concerned about. Among them, for the intelligent driving solution of the Xiaomi SU7 standard version, is it possible to upgrade to support urban NOA in the later stage?
Xiaomi has made it clear that the SU7 Standard Edition does not support the City NOA function (City Pilot Assist). If you need to use Urban NOA, it is recommended to choose the Xiaomi SU7 Pro or Max version.
Li Auto clarifies: Ideal L6 adopts a front double wishbone rear five-link suspension structure
On April 6, Li Auto clarified the recent false rumors that "Ideal L6 adopts MacPherson suspension structure": Ideal L6 adopts the front double wishbone rear five-link suspension structure commonly used in luxury medium and large SUVs. The Ideal L6 has a minimum ground clearance of 180mm, which is 4mm higher than the 2024 Ideal L9/L8/L7 with standard air suspension.
Based on the second-generation range extender platform of Li Auto, the Ideal L6 took three years of research and development with an investment of more than 2 billion yuan. Li Auto has also built a new production line for the Li L6, which is located in the Changzhou production base of Principle Xiang ONE, which also produces the Li L9/L8/L7 at the same time. The Ideal L6 is a completely forward-developed brand-new product, which is a luxury mid-to-large five-seater SUV designed for young families.
Limited to 62 units worldwide, Maserati Circuit exclusive model MCXtrema "Beast Out"
On April 6, it was reported that Maserati released the track-exclusive model MCXtrema at Monterey Car Week last year.
The MCXtrema is an evolution of the road-going MC20 and is limited to just 62 units worldwide. The 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 "Made-in-Modena" engine makes an eye-watering 730 hp and produces a maximum torque of 730 Nm. Despite being longer and wider than its predecessor, it is more than 11 per cent lighter and with 110 hp more power, it is Maserati's most powerful race car on the track to date, built for racing conditions and helping drivers set new lap records.
Apple has urged the U.S. Court of Appeals to overturn some of the Apple Watch import bans
On April 5, local time, Apple urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to overturn the U.S. International Trade Commission's (ITC) decision to ban the import of some Apple Watches. Apple said the ITC's decision was based on "a series of substantially flawed patent rulings" and that medical device maker Masimo failed to demonstrate that it had invested in producing competitive U.S. products that would justify the rulings. To circumvent the ban, Apple removed the blood oxygen feature from its latest smartwatches, the Series 9 series and Ultra 2.
Masimo revealed in January that U.S. Customs and Border Protection approved the move on January 12. The agency "decided that Apple's redesigned Apple Watch is not covered by the U.S. International Trade Commission's import ban," suggesting that this adjustment will allow the Apple Watch to continue to be sold on the market.
Procter & Gamble is recalling 8.2 million bags of laundry detergent in North America due to packaging defects
On April 7, Procter & Gamble recently announced that it is recalling more than 8.2 million bags of laundry detergent of brands such as Tide, Gain, Ace and Ariel sold in the United States and Canada due to child safety defects in product packaging. The products involved in this recall were primarily manufactured between September 2023 and February 2024 and have been sold through major retailers such as Walmart, Target, CVS, and Amazon.
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