ChinaTalk The Z.ai Playbook
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Nov 21, 2025 Zixuan Li, Director of Product and genAI Strategy at Z.ai, dives into the innovative realms of Chinese AI. He discusses Z.ai's groundbreaking GLM 4.5 model and what makes it stand out, including its coding and role-playing capabilities. Zixuan also explores the quest for global recognition among Chinese AI firms, highlighting the critical role of open-source models. He shares insights on the balance of optimism and fear in public attitudes towards AI and the unique cultural aspects of AI development in China. It's a fascinating look at the intersection of technology and society.
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Returnee Joins Z.ai After US Studies
- Zixuan Li recounts applying to many AI roles in the U.S. and ultimately returning to China to join Z.ai after graduation.
- Her MIT AI safety background shaped her product and strategy work at Z.ai.
Pivot From Graphs To LLMs Built Momentum
- Z.ai began in 2019 exploring graph networks before pivoting to LLMs and launching GLM in 2021.
- Their GLM 4.5/4.6 focus on coding, reasoning, and agentic tool use drove wider recognition.
Collocate Teams And Lead By Doing
- Keep pretraining and post-training teams tightly integrated and co-located to iterate quickly on unified goals.
- Have leaders experiment directly so teams respond fast to competitor and research shifts.