Sign In

Rita Liao

Asia Writer at TechCrunch

Rita Liao is a journalist and podcaster with a focus on Asian tech and entrepreneurship. She is currently the host of Leapfrog, a podcast that documents migrant founders outside the American-centric bubble.2 Rita also works as an Asia Writer for TechCrunch, covering topics related to Chinese companies expanding globally and web3 projects with practical applications.1

Prior to her current roles, Rita has held various positions in the tech and media industry, including:

  • Contributing Writer at TechCrunch (October 2018 - Present)
  • Editor for "Attention Factory: The Story of TikTok and China's ByteDance" (September 2019 - October 2020)
  • Tech Writer at Tech in Asia (January 2018 - September 2018)
  • Tech Writer at TechNode.com (June 2017 - January 2018)
  • PR & Communications at Chinaccelerator and SOSV (March 2016 - July 2017)

Rita's educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Comparative Government & Visual Arts from Bowdoin College, as well as studies at Mulgrave School and Shenzhen Foreign Languages School.1

Her LinkedIn username is ritacyliao, as mentioned in the query.1

Highlights

Sep 14 · linkedin

Incredible scoop from my colleague Rebecca Bellan on how TuSimple, once a rising star in the autonomous driving landscape, fell apart amid US-China tensions, company infighting, and a series of legal troubles. An absolute honor to have worked on it. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gT2vWqKQ

At the center of TuSimple's latest saga is its sudden pivot to, lo and behold, animation and gaming! The co-founder happens to be a film lover and laid off hundreds of autonomous driving staff. Meanwhile, TuSimple plans to deregister with the SEC, and if approved, it will effectively go dark. Shareholders worry TuSimple is using their $$$ to fund a new entertainment business that's strayed far from the self-driving tech they were promised. The CEO's response?

“If you commercialize, that means you make money off the technology, and we’re trying to make money off it, plain and simple.”

As wild as TuSimple's leadership decisions sound, it's worth remembering the company was scaling up self-driving as recently as November. But amid US investigations over trade secrets, chip bans, and a restraining order, it became clear to TuSimple that the business is unsustainable.

Sep 5 · linkedin

TikTok's secret to success may not be just its AI. Lucy Gao, an early hire of TikTok US, said the app's edge is its uniquely Chinese role -- an army of 'yunying' (运营) employees who manage growth and user engagement in a labor-intensive, manual way.

Related Questions

What topics does Rita Liao cover in her podcast at Leapfrog?
How did Rita Liao transition from journalism to podcasting?
What are some notable episodes of Rita Liao's podcast at Leapfrog?
How does Rita Liao's background in comparative government influence her podcast content?
What unique perspectives does Rita Liao bring to her podcast at Leapfrog?
Rita Liao
Rita Liao, photo 1
Rita Liao, photo 2
Add to my network

Location

United States