A humanoid robot in China malfunctioned, flailed around, and thrashed wildly at factory workers during a routine test. Naturally, some humans online are calling the start of our AI judgment day, while others are still debating 100 men vs 1 gorilla. Cool, cool.
When your stock is actually a scam
ChatGPT
I don’t mean to be a downer, but I need to warn you that tens of thousands of Americans, folks just like you, are getting duped into buying worthless Chinese stocks.
The Wall Street Journal (paywall link) found even seasoned investors are falling for this scam, losing big bucks in the blink of an eye.
How the scam goes down
Fraudsters hype obscure Chinese companies using flashy but totally fake online marketing. We’re talking bogus financial reports, glowing endorsements from so-called “experts,” and completely made-up news stories claiming revolutionary breakthroughs.
It’s like the Netflix Original version of Wall Street. Investors think they’ve discovered the next Tesla or Amazon. Fraudsters generate online buzz like it’s a Marvel premiere.
You’ll see anonymous Reddit accounts praising a “groundbreaking diagnostic technology” that cured their dog’s cousin’s gluten allergy. Influencers squeeze out TikToks looking like TED Talks, promising, “You’ll 10X in 3 days or I’ll eat this protein bar on camera.”
Then the scammers quietly cash out, the stocks crash, and everyday people are left holding worthless paper.
- Mike from Texas dropped over $40,000 after he followed advice from an online forum screaming success about a so-called groundbreaking Chinese biotech company.
- Emily, a teacher from Florida, poured her entire retirement savings into a Chinese company promoted by a convincing finance influencer. Turns out, the company didn’t even exist. Her retirement vanished almost overnight.
- Jim from Illinois? Fell for sleek emails teasing “exclusive tips.” The only thing exclusive about it was how fast his kids’ college fund evaporated chasing a Chinese electric vehicle startup that disappeared overnight.
So, what do you do?
Be smarter. Please.
- Steer clear of “secret tips”: If someone promises huge returns on a secret investment, walk away. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
- Do your homework with trusted sources: Cross-check on Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance or the SEC. Can’t find details? Run. If you’re sourcing from a comment section, stop.
- Watch out for social media buzz: Hype on Reddit, Twitter and Discord is a huge red flag. Influencer-driven frenzy rarely points to solid investments.
Don’t let scammers ride off into the sunset with your life savings while you’re left in an empty Reddit asking, “Wait, did anyone else lose everything?”
The micro spy
It looks like a bug, acts like a spy and it’s made in China. This tiny drone is so stealthy you’d never know it was watching.
👀 TikTok’s mystery buyers: President Trump claims “very wealthy people” are ready to buy TikTok, but he won’t say who. Only catch? The deal still needs China’s OK. The deadline’s now Sept. 17. This is the third delay while lawmakers try to kill the app. It feels like a group project we all forgot about that keeps getting deadline extensions.
5 to 3
That’s the final score in a soccer match where no one broke a sweat, or had a pulse. Tsinghua’s robot squad took the W against China Agricultural University in the world’s first all-autonomous 3v3 match. Strategy, teamwork, AI, basically FIFA meets I, Robot. Coming soon: an algorithm for yellow cards.
1,000 miles
That’s how far China’s newest range-extended SUVs can go on one charge and a bit of gas. That’s New York to Key West without the “where’s the next charger?” panic attack. Huawei and Chery’s Luxeed R7 (paywall link) leads the pack, mixing EV cred with a gas backup. Range anxiety? Cured. Now it’s just regular life’s anxiety left.
Move over, DJI: A U.S. company called SiFly says its new drones are way better. The Q12 model can fly for up to three hours, and the Q250 can carry 200 pounds. That means longer range, more gear, better performance in emergencies and no secrets sent back to communist China.
2,899
That’s how many satellites China wants in its new orbiting AI supercomputer. It’s called the “Three-Body Computing Constellation,” and they’ve already launched 12. Each satellite runs its own 8 billion parameter AI model and talks to the others at up to 100 Gbps (with lasers, obviously). The goal is basically turning space into one giant neural net.
iPhone or Galaxy? Tariffs make the choice easier
New tariffs will drive up prices on China-made phones. That’s bad news for Apple.
2,700
That’s how many parts are inside an iPhone, sourced from 28 countries. Less than 5% are made in the U.S., and most of the rest come from Asia. Only 30 out of 187 suppliers have no presence in China. “Designed in California” is different when the screws are from four continents.
5 minutes
China’s top battery makers have reached five-minute charging speeds for EVs, more or less the time it takes at a gas station. CATL and BYD just flexed batteries that can deliver up to 320+ miles of range off a five-minute charge. Meanwhile, most U.S. EVs take 15 to 30 minutes.
514% jump
Taobao downloads spiked this month. The Chinese shopping app is now the No. 2 free iPhone app, behind DHgate at No. 1. Folks are buying directly from China after watching TikToks of luxury items being relabeled and marked up. Now for $12.99, you too can own a “Gucchi” belt with radiation.
🛜 Cord-cutting: Not what you think. Since 2023, at least 11 undersea cables have gone dark from suspected Russian sabotage (paywall link). China’s linked to incidents near Taiwan, too. Both say “not me.” Over 95% of the world’s data travels via 500+ of these lines. Without them? We’d be back to the dial-up era. We’re one cable cut away from faxing memes to your friends.
🇨🇳 Say it’s not Tso: Obviously, we just don’t care about giving China even more of our data. China’s DeepSeek just passed ChatGPT in new monthly website visits with 524.7 million, compared to ChatGPT’s 500 million. DeepSeek holds 12.12% of the chatbot market, second to ChatGPT. Think about what you hand over to this communist chatbot.
China preparing for a space war: This is sci-fi for real. China’s testing satellites that perform tricky, close-range maneuvers, like dogfighting between fighter jets. China says they’re for “space environment monitoring,” but uhm, one model apparently has a robotic arm (paywall link). It could be used to attack other satellites!
All it takes is a few hundred bucks: Sites like China’s Temu sell cheap drone accessories that can turn them into DIY weapons. We’re talking AI-guided cameras that recognize people and vehicles, and cargo holders that can carry explosives. Seriously frightening.
🚀 Trump announced Boeing will build the F-47: It’ll still have a human pilot, but it’s capable of flying autonomously with a swarm of AI-powered drone wingmen. This next-gen jet packs stealth tech, advanced sensors and hypersonic weaponry. China and Russia? Not even close. Watch more here.
Meta doesn’t want you to read this: A new memoir by Facebook’s former director of public policy, Sarah Wynn-Williams, alleges how Zuck buddied up to China, refused to take meetings before noon, wanted her to plan a mob for his arrival in China, and exposes other Meta execs. Meta denies everything. But Careless People has already sold 60,000 copies in its first week and is a top 10 Amazon bestseller.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
TikTok on the clock: The latest plan to save TikTok by April 5 comes with a big catch (paywall link). Oracle is the front-runner, but it will only take a small stake to look after your data. The app’s algorithm? Surprise, surprise, China will still control it. The algorithm is what makes TikTok tick.
A new AI chatbot hit the web: Manus isn’t your typical China-owned chatbot. Think of it like a digital worker that gets stuff done on its own. I tried it for a new business I’m starting, and it even drew prototypes. You’ll need to fill out the invite to try it. Remember, this is China, so nothing confidential.