36Kr Daily Hot List - 2026-02-22

36Kr Daily Hot List for 2026-02-22. Tech and business news explained simply.

OpenAI's internal drama: Ilya got jealous of his student's success and helped kick out the boss

A top scientist at OpenAI got jealous when his former student made a big breakthrough and got promoted, so he helped fire the CEO, causing a messy power struggle inside the company that hurt their work.

AI stocks go crazy in the Year of the Horse's first market day

Two Chinese AI companies saw their stock prices shoot up on the first trading day after the Lunar New Year break, showing how much money people are betting on this new technology.

Google spends another $1.24 trillion to try to become the world's AI leader

Google's parent company is borrowing and spending huge amounts of money to build more AI technology because big companies like Google have the cash and customers to win the AI race, while smaller startups are struggling to keep up.

Small-town fancy coffee shops survive on holiday business

Fancy coffee shops in small towns make most of their yearly money during the Spring Festival holiday because regular customers prefer cheaper chain coffee the rest of the year, showing it's getting hard for small local shops to compete with big brands.

Loyalty in Silicon Valley is dead: anyone can be poached if the price is right

In Silicon Valley, tech companies are now paying huge amounts of money to steal top talent from each other instead of building loyalty, which matters because it means people are jumping ship for cash instead of sticking with a company to create something lasting.

AI companies are spending and raising money like crazy

Two Chinese AI companies are throwing huge money at users while another just got over $700 million from investors, because everyone's rushing to bet on the next big thing in artificial intelligence before they miss out.

Why was the first spot at the Spring Festival Gala given to a robot vacuum?

A robot vacuum cleaner got the first tech product spot on China's biggest TV show because it's become a common household item that shows how Chinese tech is now leading the world in smart home gadgets.

Chat with Wang Xingxing: Searching Worldwide Martial Arts Moves, How Unitree Surpasses Itself

A robot company put on a cool martial arts show on Chinese New Year's TV, showing off faster and smarter robots that could help in factories someday.

Behind the 'Two Cai Mings' at the Spring Festival Gala: The Robot Company's 100-Day Sprint

A robot company made a robot that looks just like a famous comedian for the big New Year's TV show, which is a big deal because it shows that robots are getting so good they can now star on national TV.

Everyone's saying don't go to Chaoshan for the holidays. Should we outsiders still go?

Chaoshan got super popular for its cool New Year traditions and amazing food, but now it's so crowded and expensive that a lot of people are warning others not to go.

Over 71 million cars on highways nationwide today

Lots of people are driving home after the holidays, so the roads are packed, which means you might get stuck in traffic.

Railways expect to carry 17.93 million passengers today

A lot of people are traveling by train today - about 18 million - because it's a busy travel period, and they're adding extra trains to handle the crowds.

China's ambassador to the U.S. met with the founder of Bridgewater hedge fund

China's top diplomat in America sat down with the billionaire who runs one of the world's biggest investment firms to talk about how the two countries get along and what's happening with the global economy, showing they're trying to keep important money conversations going even when governments disagree.

France says the EU will fight back with tariffs if needed

After the US raised taxes on imports from many countries, France said the European Union is ready to hit back with its own taxes on American goods if the US doesn't back down, which matters because it could make things more expensive for regular people on both sides of the ocean.

Alibaba Cloud's coding service now offers several AI programming assistants

Alibaba Cloud added new AI helpers to their coding subscription, so programmers can easily switch between different smart assistants to get help writing code faster and better.