From burning through $50,000 in Claude Code tokens per month to building global software products from Beijing apartments—how resource scarcity is creating a new breed of super-individuals in China
What Liu shows is the collapse of the boundary between “individual” and “company.” A super-individual with compute as labor becomes a synthetic organization. China just reveals the pattern early. This piece sketches the beginning of that shift.
Most reports of AI enthusiasts in China seem to be in Beijing. Why is that, when one might assume Shenzhen, Shanghai, or Hangzhou should also have equivalent scenes?
hangzhou also has high-density of AI talents, don't get me wrong. For beijing, i think it's because of Beijing has high-concentration of tech companies and the best STEM universities
That "extreme grinding energy" is found in East Asian games and gaming, they love a grind - certainly in China, Japan and S Korea... I should know, I'm playing one atm lol
As an attorney, I think he may have a case against Anthropic for breach of contract when they unilaterally cut him off. He should look into filing a lawsuit and protecting his rights as a consumer - and by that extent - the rights of all consumers.
You subscribe to a woodworking workshop and pay a monthly fee to use their tools and workspace. You spend hours there making furniture. Hell, maybe you don’t need sleep and can work 24/7. Then you start selling the furniture you make — perfectly normal for a skilled woodworker.
One day, the workshop owner finds out you’re selling your pieces, and without warning they cancel your membership and lock you out, even though you have paid for the month.
Afra: just to add something. I’ve long been a fan of the expression 混不吝 as it encapsulates that spirit of being able to muck through despite the odds. It’s a kind of disdain for convention that can underpin inventiveness.
Afra: Another great report on what in the old days was called 土办法 and 穷办法。The influences mentioned are fascinating, though I also can’t help but think of Cai Guo Qiang’s 2005-2015 project on “peasant Da Vincis”. Thank you for this insightful conversation. Geremie
What Liu shows is the collapse of the boundary between “individual” and “company.” A super-individual with compute as labor becomes a synthetic organization. China just reveals the pattern early. This piece sketches the beginning of that shift.
Thanks for this article. This reminds me a lot of the indie hacker community, especially Pieter Levels who built photo.ai (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFtjKbXKqbg)
❤️❤️
Loved this
Most reports of AI enthusiasts in China seem to be in Beijing. Why is that, when one might assume Shenzhen, Shanghai, or Hangzhou should also have equivalent scenes?
hangzhou also has high-density of AI talents, don't get me wrong. For beijing, i think it's because of Beijing has high-concentration of tech companies and the best STEM universities
That "extreme grinding energy" is found in East Asian games and gaming, they love a grind - certainly in China, Japan and S Korea... I should know, I'm playing one atm lol
Incredible interview with a high density of good insights. I really enjoyed reading this. Thank you!
thank you for reading and liking it!!! please help amplifying it if you think it’s worthy
As an attorney, I think he may have a case against Anthropic for breach of contract when they unilaterally cut him off. He should look into filing a lawsuit and protecting his rights as a consumer - and by that extent - the rights of all consumers.
oh i didn't think about the issue from this angle...
Here’s a quick analogy of what’s taken place:
You subscribe to a woodworking workshop and pay a monthly fee to use their tools and workspace. You spend hours there making furniture. Hell, maybe you don’t need sleep and can work 24/7. Then you start selling the furniture you make — perfectly normal for a skilled woodworker.
One day, the workshop owner finds out you’re selling your pieces, and without warning they cancel your membership and lock you out, even though you have paid for the month.
dan wang has arrived into the chat
Afra: just to add something. I’ve long been a fan of the expression 混不吝 as it encapsulates that spirit of being able to muck through despite the odds. It’s a kind of disdain for convention that can underpin inventiveness.
Afra: Another great report on what in the old days was called 土办法 and 穷办法。The influences mentioned are fascinating, though I also can’t help but think of Cai Guo Qiang’s 2005-2015 project on “peasant Da Vincis”. Thank you for this insightful conversation. Geremie