Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
@zeyiyang.bsky.social
🖊 Writing about China and Technology for WIRED. Reporting on everything because everything is computer.
✉️ zeyi_yang[AT]wired.com
💬 signal: zeyiyang.06
✉️ zeyi_yang[AT]wired.com
💬 signal: zeyiyang.06
Pinned
Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
@zeyiyang.bsky.social
· Oct 1
A Journey Into the Heart of Labubu
I made an epic trek across four countries to answer one question: Why is the world going mad for a plushie monster?
www.wired.com
In college, I'd always walk past an unremarkable store in Beijing that sold a variety of trendy, but tacky, toys. That store has turned into Pop Mart, the $45-billion Chinese toy empire behind Labubu, the biggest global fad of 2025.
This is my big story/pilgrimage trip to explain how they got here
This is my big story/pilgrimage trip to explain how they got here
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
SCOOP: As OpenAI faces increased scrutiny over how ChatGPT responds to distressed users, a research leader spearheading that work announced her departure, WIRED has learned.
Andrea Vallone, the head of model policy, will leave the company by the end of 2025.
Andrea Vallone, the head of model policy, will leave the company by the end of 2025.
November 24, 2025 at 5:17 PM
SCOOP: As OpenAI faces increased scrutiny over how ChatGPT responds to distressed users, a research leader spearheading that work announced her departure, WIRED has learned.
Andrea Vallone, the head of model policy, will leave the company by the end of 2025.
Andrea Vallone, the head of model policy, will leave the company by the end of 2025.
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
A memo obtained by WIRED confirms Denise Dresser's departure from Slack. She is now headed to OpenAI. www.wired.com/story/slack-...
OpenAI Hires Slack CEO as New Chief Revenue Officer
A memo obtained by WIRED confirms Denise Dresser's departure from Slack. She is now headed to OpenAI.
www.wired.com
December 9, 2025 at 6:37 PM
A memo obtained by WIRED confirms Denise Dresser's departure from Slack. She is now headed to OpenAI. www.wired.com/story/slack-...
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
BREAKING
BREAKING
In a major win for Nvidia, President Trump says they can sell their H200 chips to China.
BREAKING
In a major win for Nvidia, President Trump says they can sell their H200 chips to China.
December 8, 2025 at 9:36 PM
BREAKING
BREAKING
In a major win for Nvidia, President Trump says they can sell their H200 chips to China.
BREAKING
In a major win for Nvidia, President Trump says they can sell their H200 chips to China.
News this week: DeepSeek is publishing first-tier open-source reasoning models; ByteDance is challenging Siri by making its AI chatbot Doubao an agent embedded in the operating system. They represent the 2 directions Chinese AI is heading.
(BTW, Doubao's agent is already blocked by WeChat. Oops)
(BTW, Doubao's agent is already blocked by WeChat. Oops)
ByteDance and DeepSeek Are Placing Very Different AI Bets
The diverging path of China’s two leading AI players shows where the country’s artificial intelligence industry is headed.
www.wired.com
December 4, 2025 at 5:40 PM
News this week: DeepSeek is publishing first-tier open-source reasoning models; ByteDance is challenging Siri by making its AI chatbot Doubao an agent embedded in the operating system. They represent the 2 directions Chinese AI is heading.
(BTW, Doubao's agent is already blocked by WeChat. Oops)
(BTW, Doubao's agent is already blocked by WeChat. Oops)
You wear AirPods to listen to music/podcasts, I wear them to listen to the bippity-bop sound they make that go on forever before they can figure out if you are nodding or shaking your head to Siri’s question.
December 4, 2025 at 5:32 PM
You wear AirPods to listen to music/podcasts, I wear them to listen to the bippity-bop sound they make that go on forever before they can figure out if you are nodding or shaking your head to Siri’s question.
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
Scoop: Louisiana's fish/wildlife agency is detaining people not guilty of any crimes & transferring them to ICE. It's one of 1000+ state + local agencies that started doing so this year.
ICE couldn't provide any info on people the wildlife agency has detained for them:
www.wired.com/story/story/...
ICE couldn't provide any info on people the wildlife agency has detained for them:
www.wired.com/story/story/...
December 4, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Scoop: Louisiana's fish/wildlife agency is detaining people not guilty of any crimes & transferring them to ICE. It's one of 1000+ state + local agencies that started doing so this year.
ICE couldn't provide any info on people the wildlife agency has detained for them:
www.wired.com/story/story/...
ICE couldn't provide any info on people the wildlife agency has detained for them:
www.wired.com/story/story/...
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
Catch me on the radio, talking about @makenakelly.bsky.social and my story debunking the myth that DOGE is dead:
www.wired.com/story/what-i...
www.wired.com/story/what-i...
December 3, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Catch me on the radio, talking about @makenakelly.bsky.social and my story debunking the myth that DOGE is dead:
www.wired.com/story/what-i...
www.wired.com/story/what-i...
wow i haven't seen anything this gay in my experienced gay life
December 4, 2025 at 3:20 AM
wow i haven't seen anything this gay in my experienced gay life
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
NEW: Your "end-to-end encrypted" poop pictures taken by this $599 (+ subscription) smart toilet camera are actually not end-to-end encrypted.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
techcrunch.com/2025/12/03/e...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
techcrunch.com/2025/12/03/e...
‘End-to-end encrypted’ smart toilet camera is not actually end-to-end encrypted | TechCrunch
Kohler, the makers of a smart toilet camera, can access customers' data stored on its servers, and can use customers’ bowl pictures to train AI.
techcrunch.com
December 3, 2025 at 7:59 PM
NEW: Your "end-to-end encrypted" poop pictures taken by this $599 (+ subscription) smart toilet camera are actually not end-to-end encrypted.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
techcrunch.com/2025/12/03/e...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
techcrunch.com/2025/12/03/e...
unlike Gore, you are a summer
December 4, 2025 at 3:14 AM
unlike Gore, you are a summer
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
Blog Post: Another Shill Article Tries to Normalize the SAD Scheme #trademark
blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/202...
blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/202...
Another Shill Article Tries to Normalize the SAD Scheme - Technology & Marketing Law Blog
I note the posting of a draft article, which (unfortunately) has been accepted for publication by the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal, entitled “Beyond the Brick-and-M...
blog.ericgoldman.org
December 2, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Blog Post: Another Shill Article Tries to Normalize the SAD Scheme #trademark
blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/202...
blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/202...
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
A 6-year-old boy is missing after ICE arrested him and his dad in NYC last week and shipped them off to separate facilities. www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/02/i... @thecity.nyc @gwynnefitz.bsky.social
ICE Arrested and Separated Chinese Father From 6-Year-Old Son, Advocates Say
The father and son were detained at an ICE check-in on Nov. 26, advocates say. The son’s location is currently unknown, while the father is being held at an upstate ICE facility.
www.thecity.nyc
December 2, 2025 at 5:42 PM
A 6-year-old boy is missing after ICE arrested him and his dad in NYC last week and shipped them off to separate facilities. www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/02/i... @thecity.nyc @gwynnefitz.bsky.social
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
People will die, and are currently dying, because RFK was granted one of the most powerful megaphones in the country. Two people who could have thrown barriers in front of his climb decided not to; there's a sex scandal here but it is not the biggest scandal.
November 26, 2025 at 11:30 PM
People will die, and are currently dying, because RFK was granted one of the most powerful megaphones in the country. Two people who could have thrown barriers in front of his climb decided not to; there's a sex scandal here but it is not the biggest scandal.
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
“I had to take the baby from my crying wife’s arms.“ It hasn’t even been a year, and this is not a scandal anymore? What is wrong with us?
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:54 PM
“I had to take the baby from my crying wife’s arms.“ It hasn’t even been a year, and this is not a scandal anymore? What is wrong with us?
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
I don’t recommend yelling “more vulgar” repeatedly in your boss’ office
Let the record show: Shortly after Manisha attempted to “roast” me using Grok, I asked her to leave my office:
Elon Musk Said Grok’s Roasts Would Be ‘Epic’ at Parties—So I Tried It on My Coworkers
It went about as well as you’d expect.
www.wired.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:29 PM
I don’t recommend yelling “more vulgar” repeatedly in your boss’ office
Absurd. The federal gov is planning to raise the price of the annual National Park pass to $250 for non-US residents (from $80 for Americans), and the more popular parks will charge $100 extra for EACH non-US resident visitor www.nps.gov/planyourvisi...
November 25, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Absurd. The federal gov is planning to raise the price of the annual National Park pass to $250 for non-US residents (from $80 for Americans), and the more popular parks will charge $100 extra for EACH non-US resident visitor www.nps.gov/planyourvisi...
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
What do you do when you’re a gun-loving leftist who doesn’t fit into mainstream American gun culture?
That's a question @manishakrishnan.bsky.social set out to answer this summer when she attended a Brutality match, an inclusive firearms competition in Idaho.
That's a question @manishakrishnan.bsky.social set out to answer this summer when she attended a Brutality match, an inclusive firearms competition in Idaho.
The Hard-Left Shooters Leading a Gun Culture Revolution
Earlier this year, I attended a shooting competition for queer, often trans, very online misfits. Then Charlie Kirk was killed.
www.wired.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:48 PM
What do you do when you’re a gun-loving leftist who doesn’t fit into mainstream American gun culture?
That's a question @manishakrishnan.bsky.social set out to answer this summer when she attended a Brutality match, an inclusive firearms competition in Idaho.
That's a question @manishakrishnan.bsky.social set out to answer this summer when she attended a Brutality match, an inclusive firearms competition in Idaho.
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
Trump talked to Xi
November 24, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Trump talked to Xi
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
My latest: Would you replace coffee with a $100 wristband that mildly zaps you and stimulates your nerves to keep you awake?
Turns out most Chinese people are saying no, as they ridicule the viral gadget "eCoffee" and call it a portable electric chair. (You can buy it here and try it out tho.)
Turns out most Chinese people are saying no, as they ridicule the viral gadget "eCoffee" and call it a portable electric chair. (You can buy it here and try it out tho.)
A Viral Chinese Wristband Claims to Zap You Awake. The Public Says 'No Thanks’
The maker of the eCoffee Energyband says it electrically stimulates your nerves to keep you alert. Researchers are skeptical, and critics see it as a way for China’s bosses to keep workers productive.
www.wired.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:04 PM
My latest: Would you replace coffee with a $100 wristband that mildly zaps you and stimulates your nerves to keep you awake?
Turns out most Chinese people are saying no, as they ridicule the viral gadget "eCoffee" and call it a portable electric chair. (You can buy it here and try it out tho.)
Turns out most Chinese people are saying no, as they ridicule the viral gadget "eCoffee" and call it a portable electric chair. (You can buy it here and try it out tho.)
Welcome to the wild world of Chinese kids' smartwatches, where they socialize, date, shop, give out likes, buy likes, build bots for likes, and enter high society when they get over 800,000 likes.
Absolutely eye-opening. It's great to have Stephanie report this story in this week's Made in China.
Absolutely eye-opening. It's great to have Stephanie report this story in this week's Made in China.
In China, parents are buying smartwatches for children as young as five, connecting them to a digital world that blends socializing with fierce competition. www.wired.com/story/kids-i...
Kids in China Are Using Bots and Engagement Hacks to Look More Popular on Their Smartwatches
In China, parents are buying smartwatches for children as young as five, connecting them to a digital world that blends socializing with fierce competition.
www.wired.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Welcome to the wild world of Chinese kids' smartwatches, where they socialize, date, shop, give out likes, buy likes, build bots for likes, and enter high society when they get over 800,000 likes.
Absolutely eye-opening. It's great to have Stephanie report this story in this week's Made in China.
Absolutely eye-opening. It's great to have Stephanie report this story in this week's Made in China.
My latest: Would you replace coffee with a $100 wristband that mildly zaps you and stimulates your nerves to keep you awake?
Turns out most Chinese people are saying no, as they ridicule the viral gadget "eCoffee" and call it a portable electric chair. (You can buy it here and try it out tho.)
Turns out most Chinese people are saying no, as they ridicule the viral gadget "eCoffee" and call it a portable electric chair. (You can buy it here and try it out tho.)
A Viral Chinese Wristband Claims to Zap You Awake. The Public Says 'No Thanks’
The maker of the eCoffee Energyband says it electrically stimulates your nerves to keep you alert. Researchers are skeptical, and critics see it as a way for China’s bosses to keep workers productive.
www.wired.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:04 PM
My latest: Would you replace coffee with a $100 wristband that mildly zaps you and stimulates your nerves to keep you awake?
Turns out most Chinese people are saying no, as they ridicule the viral gadget "eCoffee" and call it a portable electric chair. (You can buy it here and try it out tho.)
Turns out most Chinese people are saying no, as they ridicule the viral gadget "eCoffee" and call it a portable electric chair. (You can buy it here and try it out tho.)
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
We originally set up an alert to track our mentions @towcenter.bsky.social - but soon found that my name cropped up a great deal, (false ‘Dr’ added), talking about the things I talk about (tech + media) but none of the quotes were real. AI slop me has been pretty busy….
We found AI produces fake ‘expert’ quotes for questionable websites - including our own director… @dmil.bsky.social @cj-robinson.bsky.social @emilybell.bsky.social
www.cjr.org/tow_center/w...
www.cjr.org/tow_center/w...
When the pink-slime researchers become the pink slime.
We love to hear when journalists engage with our research, so in October, we set up an LLM agent to sort through Google Alerts for Tow Center’s work and notify us when our research is cited in news. T...
www.cjr.org
November 20, 2025 at 11:58 PM
We originally set up an alert to track our mentions @towcenter.bsky.social - but soon found that my name cropped up a great deal, (false ‘Dr’ added), talking about the things I talk about (tech + media) but none of the quotes were real. AI slop me has been pretty busy….
Reposted by Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅
Cops all over the country used Flock to surveil No Kings protesters, public records show: www.404media.co/cops-used-fl...
Cops Used Flock to Monitor No Kings Protests Around the Country
A massive cache of Flock lookups collated by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) shows as many as 50 federal, state, and local agencies used Flock during protests over the last year.
www.404media.co
November 21, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Cops all over the country used Flock to surveil No Kings protesters, public records show: www.404media.co/cops-used-fl...
I wouldn't expect less from the world's first trillionaire
November 20, 2025 at 10:50 PM
I wouldn't expect less from the world's first trillionaire
Four individuals were indicted for allegedly smuggling hundreds of Nvidia chips to China and were paid nearly $3.9 million in return.
new by @peard33.bsky.social and first discovered by @courtwatch.bsky.social
new by @peard33.bsky.social and first discovered by @courtwatch.bsky.social
Four Indicted In Alleged Conspiracy to Smuggle Supercomputers and Nvidia Chips to China
A federal prosecutor alleged that one defendant boasted that his father “had engaged in similar business for the Chinese Communist Party.”
www.wired.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Four individuals were indicted for allegedly smuggling hundreds of Nvidia chips to China and were paid nearly $3.9 million in return.
new by @peard33.bsky.social and first discovered by @courtwatch.bsky.social
new by @peard33.bsky.social and first discovered by @courtwatch.bsky.social