36Kr Daily Hot List - 2026-02-24

36Kr Daily Hot List for 2026-02-24. Tech and business news explained simply.

Three big news stories: crazy expensive flights from Sanya, Apple's most expensive iPhone ever coming, and China's movie ticket sales top the world for now.

Flights out of a popular vacation spot are super pricey because everyone's trying to leave at once, Apple might sell a foldable phone for as much as a used car, and China's movie theaters just had their biggest year ever, which shows people are really going out for fun again.

Chinese company gets millions in funding to make lab equipment locally

A Chinese lab equipment maker got a big cash injection to speed up making their own high-tech analysis machines instead of buying expensive foreign ones, which helps China rely less on other countries for important scientific tools.

Why do hotel beds always have four pillows?

Hotels put four pillows on beds so guests can choose what feels comfy for sleeping or lounging, since everyone likes different pillow setups, and it makes the bed look nicer too.

Who won the big AI battle after spending 80 billion?

Chinese tech companies spent huge money during the Spring Festival to get people to try their AI apps by giving away free stuff and cash, because they want to be the first place you think of when you need help from AI in your daily life.

Young people are turning bathhouses into budget hotels for Chinese New Year

Young folks are choosing fancy bath centers with food, games, and sleeping areas as cheap holiday spots instead of regular hotels, because they get more fun for less money.

OpenAI's internal drama: Ilya's jealousy leads to Sam Altman's ousting

A top scientist at OpenAI got jealous when his student made a big breakthrough and got promoted, so he helped kick out the CEO, causing a messy fight inside the company that hurt their progress.

AI stocks go crazy in the first trading day of the Year of the Horse

Two Chinese AI companies' stock prices shot way up on the first trading day after the holiday, showing how much money people think AI can make now.

Google Throws Another $1.24 Trillion at AI to Become the World Leader

Google's parent company is spending a crazy amount of money—like another $1.24 trillion—to build more AI stuff because they think it's the next big thing, and they're trying to beat other tech giants to become the top dog in AI, which matters because whoever wins this race will control the future of technology.

Small-town fancy coffee shops rely on the Chinese New Year to stay afloat

Fancy coffee shops in small towns are making most of their yearly money during the Chinese New Year holiday because big chain coffee shops have moved in and taken most of their regular customers, so they need that holiday cash to survive the rest of the year.

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

Big tech companies are throwing crazy money to steal each other's top workers, so people keep jumping jobs for bigger paychecks instead of sticking with one company.

Chinese companies use AI models 37 trillion times daily, with Alibaba's Qwen being the most popular

Chinese businesses are using AI tools like crazy - 37 trillion times every single day - and Alibaba's Qwen is now their favorite because it's grown the fastest and handles nearly a third of all that AI work.

China's three main stock market indexes all rose by midday break, fiberglass-related stocks performed strongly

China's main stock markets went up during their lunch break, with fiberglass company stocks doing especially well, showing investors are feeling positive about certain industries right now.

2026 Chinese New Year movie box office hits 57.52 billion yuan with 120 million viewers

During the 2026 Chinese New Year holiday, movies made a ton of money and lots of people went to see them, which shows that folks still really enjoy going out to the movies together for entertainment.

Leapmotor increased its capital by about 18% to 5.56 billion yuan

Leapmotor, a Chinese electric car company, just got a big cash injection of about 18%, which matters because it shows investors are betting more money on them to keep making and selling their electric vehicles.

Some US power grid money going to Chinese tech company, expected to build 100 energy storage projects this year

Some government money meant to help US states upgrade their power grids is being used to buy charging equipment from a Chinese company called Daotong, which matters because it shows how foreign companies are benefiting from American infrastructure spending while building their own energy storage business.