I would like to challenge the assumption that "To be in tech, you need to know coding". Tech needs more humanists.
Why I don’t want to be a founder
Almost every day someone asks me: "do you wanna start your own thing someday?" And people are always surprised when they hear my answer: No, at least not in the next 10 years. There are so many VCs out there extolling the virtue of entrepreneurship and encouraging people to start their own thing. I have the opposite view. Here's why.
Why I Joined ByteDance
In ByteDance, I see a reflection of myself.
Why I Love Living in China
This morning I was reminded of why I love living in China. I had a few errands to get out of my way before starting my day. The handle of one of my favorite handbags broke. I walked 3 minutes to the neighborhood shoe repairer (who works from a small pushcart parked on the side … Continue reading Why I Love Living in China
Unanswerable Questions
Ever since I switched jobs, I can’t count the number of times I have been asked, "So how is your new job? Are you happy?"
My answer is often: "I don’t know."
What is it like to work in China?
Since I relocated to Beijing from Silicon Valley, one of the questions I got most frequently has been: "So how do you like working in China?" Here are some observations so far.
China’s Watching Silicon Valley. Does Silicon Valley Watch China?
Every day, I meet entrepreneurs across the US and China. I often ask them about their competitors overseas. When I’m in China, I notice that Chinese founders usually have comprehensive knowledge about their US competitors, listing off minute product features and the latest numbers on their size and traction. On the other hand, when I … Continue reading China’s Watching Silicon Valley. Does Silicon Valley Watch China?
How to Keep Up with What’s Happening in China
This is a list of resources that I have found helpful for staying in touch with what's happening in China (and here's why I stay in touch with China), with a focus on tech. I should admit that I have been/am currently affiliated with many of the outlets mentioned below. English-language resources 996 Podcast A … Continue reading How to Keep Up with What’s Happening in China
“Father of WeChat” Lays Out 2018 Product Roadmap
By Zara Zhang and Hans Tung What is the most watched speech in the Chinese tech community? It is WeChat's founder Allen Zhang's keynote address at the WeChat Open Class PRO (WeChat's equivalent of Apple's WWDC or Google I/O) held in Guangzhou each January. Zhang is the mastermind behind WeChat, the super app with 980 million … Continue reading “Father of WeChat” Lays Out 2018 Product Roadmap
Lessons Learned from Organizing Harvard China Forum
At Harvard, I co-led the organization of Harvard China Forum, the largest student-run China conference in North America that attracts 1,200 attendees and features over 100 speakers each year. The speaker list is a who's who of prominent figures in the US-China cross-border world. It was not easy to run a large event as students … Continue reading Lessons Learned from Organizing Harvard China Forum
Zara Zhang 