
China Tech Investor
The China Tech Investor podcast is a weekly show featuring Elliott Zaagman, writer and contributor to TechNode, and James Hull, a professional investor.
Each week, the two look at their watchlist and talk about what's happening with listed Chinese tech companies
Latest episodes

Nov 13, 2020 • 58min
CTI 64: How Bytedance Built an 'Attention Factory,' with Matthew Brennan
China Tech Investor is a weekly look at China’s tech companies through the lens of investment. Each week, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull go through their watch list of publicly listed tech companies and also interview experts on issues affecting the macroeconomy and the stock prices of China’s tech companies.Make sure you don’t miss anything. Check out our lineup of China tech podcasts.Elliott and James welcome back Matthew Brennan to the show to discuss his new book: Attention Factory: The Story of Tiktok and China’s Bytedance. Matthew shares insights into the company’s beginnings as well as its meteoric rise, the people and personalities that define its culture, and how Tiktok came close to failing in the US. Hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.Watchlist:TencentAlibabaBaiduiQiyiXiaomiJDPinduoduoMeituan-DianpingLuckin CoffeeHosts:Elliott Zaagman– @elliottzaagmanJames Hull– @jameshullxGuest: Matthew Brennan– @mbrennanchinaEditor:Peter IsachenkoPodcast information:iTunesSpotifyRSS FeedMusic: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Nov 5, 2020 • 1h 8min
CTI 63: Why the short sellers are targeting GSX, with Joe Ridsdale
China Tech Investor is a weekly look at China’s tech companies through the lens of investment. Each week, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull go through their watch list of publicly listed tech companies and also interview experts on issues affecting the macroeconomy and the stock prices of China’s tech companies.Make sure you don’t miss anything. Check out our lineup of China tech podcasts.Elliott and James welcome Joe Ridsdale, CEO of West Street Capital Partners. Joe explains why his firm is one of many who have a short position on Chinese ed-tech company GSX. The three of them also discuss the structural barriers to exposing fraud in such circumstances.Hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. Short sellers, such as the guest in this episode, earn money if the price of a stock falls. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services. Watchlist:TencentAlibabaBaiduiQiyiXiaomiJDPinduoduoMeituan-DianpingLuckin CoffeeHosts:Elliott Zaagman– @elliottzaagmanJames Hull– @jameshullxGuest: Joe Ridsdale– @RidsdalejoeEditor:Peter IsachenkoPodcast information:iTunesSpotifyRSS FeedMusic: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Oct 17, 2020 • 43min
CTI 62: Xiaomi’s resilience, with Bryan Ma
China Tech Investor is a weekly look at China’s tech companies through the lens of investment. Each week, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull go through their watch list of publicly listed tech companies and also interview experts on issues affecting the macroeconomy and the stock prices of China’s tech companies.Make sure you don’t miss anything. Check out our lineup of China tech podcastsElliott and James welcome IDC’s VP of Device Research Bryan Ma to the show. They discuss how Xiaomi is benefiting from Huawei’s international troubles, the foothold they continue to establish in India and SE Asia, and how the pandemic has been a surprisingly good year for PC makers.Hosts may have interests in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.Get the PDF of the China Consumer Index.Watchlist:TencentAlibabaBaiduiQiyiXiaomiJDPinduoduoMeituan-DianpingLuckin CoffeeHosts:Elliott Zaagman– @elliottzaagmanJames Hull– @jameshullxGuest: Bryan Ma– @bryanbmaEditor:Peter IsachenkoPodcast information:iTunesSpotifyRSS FeedMusic: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Sep 25, 2020 • 1h 6min
61: Ant Group is really big, and really confusing
China Tech Investor is a weekly look at China’s tech companies through the lens of investment. Each week, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull go through their watch list of publicly listed tech companies and also interview experts on issues affecting the macroeconomy and the stock prices of China’s tech companies.Make sure you don’t miss anything. Check out our lineup of China tech podcastsElliott and James try to get their minds around Ant Group’s IPO, and attempt to explain the business behind what is likely to be the biggest IPO in history.Hosts may have interests in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.Get the PDF of the China Consumer Index.Watchlist:TencentAlibabaBaiduiQiyiXiaomiJDPinduoduoMeituan-DianpingLuckin CoffeeHosts:Elliott Zaagman– @elliottzaagmanJames Hull– @jameshullxGuest: NoneEditorPeter IsachenkoPodcast information:iTunesSpotifyRSS FeedMusic: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Sep 1, 2020 • 1h 18min
60: Breaking down quarterly earnings from BABA, JD, and PDD
China Tech Investor is a weekly look at China’s tech companies through the lens of investment. Each week, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull go through their watch list of publicly listed tech companies and also interview experts on issues affecting the macroeconomy and the stock prices of China’s tech companies.Make sure you don’t miss anything. Check out our lineup of China tech podcastsIn an earnings season tradition, Elliott and James bring on Michael Norris to discuss the quarterly earnings reports of Alibaba, JD, and Pinduoduo, and discuss what investors should be looking for from them going forward.See supporting charts here.Hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.Get the PDF of the China Consumer Index.Watchlist:TencentAlibabaBaiduiQiyiXiaomiJDPinduoduoMeituan-DianpingLuckin CoffeeHosts:Elliott Zaagman– @elliottzaagmanJames Hull– @jameshullxGuest:Michael Norris— @briefnorrisEditorPeter IsachenkoPodcast information:iTunesSpotifyRSS FeedMusic: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Aug 26, 2020 • 1h 1min
59: China’s cloud landscape, with Kevin Xu
China Tech Investor is a weekly look at China’s tech companies through the lens of investment. Each week, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull go through their watch list of publicly listed tech companies and also interview experts on issues affecting the macroeconomy and the stock prices of China’s tech companies.Make sure you don’t miss anything. Check out our lineup of China tech podcastsElliott and James welcome Kevin Xu to the podcast this week. Kevin is the author of Interconnected, a bilingual newsletter on tech, business, geopolitics, and US-China relations. The three guys discuss China’s cloud services landscape and its competitive dynamics. They also discuss TSMC and the intense competition in semiconductor development. Hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.Get the PDF of the China Consumer Index.Watchlist:TencentAlibabaBaiduiQiyiXiaomiJDPinduoduoMeituan-DianpingLuckin CoffeeHosts:Elliott Zaagman– @elliottzaagmanJames Hull– @jameshullxGuest:Kevin Xu - @kevinsxuEditorPeter IsachenkoPodcast information:iTunesSpotifyRSS FeedMusic: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Aug 3, 2020 • 1h 8min
58: Are China and India getting a tech divorce? With Dev Lewis
Elliott and James welcome Digital Asia Hub fellow Dev Lewis back to the podcast to discuss what a worsening diplomatic relationship between China and India means for Chinese tech companies in India, and what the future of India’s tech landscape will look like. James and Ell also chat about the prospects of IPOs from Ant Financial and Didi Chuxing. Please note, the hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.Get the PDF of the China Consumer Index.Watchlist:TencentAlibabaBaiduiQiyiXiaomiJDPinduoduoMeituan-DianpingLuckin CoffeeHosts:Elliott Zaagman– @elliottzaagmanJames Hull– @jameshullxGuest:Dev Lewis - @devlewis18EditorPeter IsachenkoPodcast information:iTunesSpotifyRSS FeedMusic: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Jul 21, 2020 • 1h 13min
57: Tom Orlik on why the China bubble never seems to pop
After taking some time to welcome his newborn son, James returns to his co-hosting duties, as he and Elliott welcome Bloomberg Chief Economist Tom Orlik to the pod to discuss Tom’s new book China: The Bubble that Never Pops. Ell, James, and Tom discuss reasons to be optimistic about the future of the Chinese economy, and why it has avoided a major crisis in the decades following Reform and Opening Up. James and Elliott also cover a few other hot topics in the news recently, such as the prospect of a Tiktok ban in the US. Please note, the hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.Get the PDF of the China Consumer Index.Watchlist:TencentAlibabaBaiduiQiyiXiaomiJDPinduoduoMeituan-DianpingLuckin CoffeeHosts:Elliott Zaagman– @elliottzaagmanJames Hull– @jameshullxGuest:Tom Orlik - @TomOrlikEditorPeter IsachenkoPodcast information:iTunesSpotifyRSS FeedMusic: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Jun 19, 2020 • 57min
56: Alibaba, Bilibili, and Pinduoduo earnings, plus what to expect if Chinese companies delist from the US
This week, James is taking some time off with his newborn, so CTI regular Michael Norris fills in as cohost. He and Elliott discuss Alibaba, Bilibili, and Pinduoduo’s Q1 earnings, as well as what the possibility of Chinese companies delisting from US exchanges will mean for investors. Please note, the hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.Get the PDF of the China Consumer Index.Watchlist:TencentAlibabaBaiduiQiyiXiaomiJDPinduoduoMeituan-DianpingLuckin CoffeeLinks:Bilibili and the niche vs mass market dilemma- PingwestHosts:Elliott Zaagman– @elliottzaagmanJames Hull– @jameshullxMichael Norris– @briefnorrisEditorPeter IsachenkoPodcast information:iTunesSpotifyRSS FeedMusic: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

May 22, 2020 • 1h 15min
55: Tencent earnings, Pinduoduo’s 20-F, and digital currency in China with Wolfie Zhao
This week, the guys welcome Coindesk Asia Editor Wolfie Zhao to the pod to discuss the latest progress in China’s development of a digital currency, and also swap stories of the exciting and dynamic gray market in China that has built up around cryptocurrency mining and trading. James and Elliott also look into Pinduoduo’s 20-F and discuss the latest earnings reports from Tencent and JD.Please note, the hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.Get the PDF of the China Consumer Index.Watchlist:TencentAlibabaBaiduiQiyiXiaomiJDPinduoduoMeituan-DianpingLuckin CoffeeGuest:Wolfie Zhao – @WolfiezhaoHosts:Elliott Zaagman– @elliottzaagmanJames Hull– @jameshullxEditorPeter IsachenkoPodcast information:iTunesSpotifyRSS FeedMusic: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music