China Decode: The U.S. vs China AI Battle Is Getting Ugly

The race for global AI supremacy is accelerating—and getting messier. Alice Han and James Kynge break down the escalating tensions between the U.S. and China as accusations of AI model “distillation” and intellectual theft collide with China’s own rapid breakthroughs, including DeepSeek’s latest powerful new model. But the competition isn’t just happening in code. While Washington warns of industrial-scale AI copying, Wall Street is quietly increasing exposure to China through record renminbi borrowing and offshore “dim sum” bonds—suggesting a deeper financial realignment underway beneath the geopolitical friction. And inside China, a very different story is unfolding: a rising trend of “pretend-to-work” offices, where young people are paying just to simulate employment amid growing youth unemployment and economic pressure. Subscribe on Substack for ad-free episodes and much more! 👉 chinadecode.profgmedia.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott Galloway answers audience questions from this year’s SXSW – breaking down why his prediction that international stocks would beat the S&P played out, how he personally invests his money, and why America's education system is failing the kids who need it most. Want to be featured in a future episode? Send a voice recording to [email protected], or drop your question in the r/ScottGalloway subreddit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As read by George Hahn. https://www.profgmedia.com/p/freedom-of-navigation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott Galloway weighs in on China's rise as a global superpower, identifies the companies best positioned to win as oil prices drive an EV boom, and explains why cities — for all their opportunity — are the loneliest places on earth. Want to be featured in a future episode? Send a voice recording to [email protected], or drop your question in the r/ScottGalloway subreddit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Brooks, a writer now at The Atlantic and a bestselling author, joins Scott to unpack what he sees as a deeper crisis in America — not political, but moral. They discuss the rise of resentment, why so many people feel a lack of purpose, and how institutions have failed to shape character and meaning. They also explore how social media and AI are reshaping identity, why young people feel increasingly unmoored, and what it takes to build a life with purpose.  Also, friendly reminder that we're live on Substack. Subscribe at profgmedia.com to get ad-free versions of all our podcasts, the full archive of Scott’s newsletters, and exclusive content including deep dives, livestream conversations, and subscriber Q&As. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks for listening to Raging Moderates on the Prof G feed. This is just a preview of today’s full episode — and soon, we’ll be leaving this feed entirely. To get the full episode, subscribe to the Raging Moderates feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. We’re dropping new episodes every weekday evening — five days a week. Subscribe on ⁠YouTube⁠, or check us out on ⁠Substack⁠ if you want it ad-free. Just hours before a fragile ceasefire deadline, tensions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating — and the political fallout at home is already taking shape. Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov sit down with Ben Shapiro, one of the most influential voices on the right, who has called this the “single bravest foreign policy move” of his lifetime. But as the risk of a prolonged conflict grows, so do the stakes: for American power, for President Trump, and for the future of the Republican Party. They press Shapiro on whether this risks becoming the kind of “forever war” Republicans once opposed, what a realistic definition of “winning” actually looks like, and how this moment could reshape the GOP heading into 2028. They also dive into the fractures emerging inside the conservative movement — from Tucker Carlson and the right-wing media ecosystem to the growing divide among younger Republicans. Follow Jessica Tarlov,⁠ @JessicaTarlov⁠  Follow Prof G,⁠ @profgalloway⁠  Follow Raging Moderates, ⁠@RagingModeratesPod⁠  Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@RagingModerates⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alice Han and James Kynge break down the forces reshaping China’s economy and its growing influence in the global AI race. They start with the macro picture: China’s Q1 GDP came in stronger than expected, but the headline number masks a more uneven recovery — with infrastructure spending doing much of the heavy lifting, while consumer demand remains soft, property prices continue to fall, and auto sales stay under pressure. From there, they move into one of the most striking shifts in the global tech economy: China’s emerging advantage in AI. In particular, its rapid rise as a leading exporter of “tokens” — the computational units that power large language models and agentic AI systems. With lower costs, rapid scaling, and increasingly competitive open-weight models, Chinese AI firms are beginning to reshape global pricing and usage dynamics across the industry. They also examine Beijing’s expanding use of export controls — spanning rare earth minerals to advanced solar technologies — and how this evolving strategy fits into a broader effort to manage global supply chains and respond to rising economic decoupling. Finally, they turn to China’s domestic innovation boom, from unconventional consumer products like in-car toilets and water bikes to headline-grabbing advances in robotics, including a humanoid robot that recently completed a half-marathon ahead of human runners. Is this just spectacle, or a signal of deeper industrial and engineering momentum? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott Galloway explains why unemployment spiked among young women, breaks down the SpaceX IPO (and why it's not a good bet), and shares his take on the importance of maintaining old friendships. Want to be featured in a future episode? Send a voice recording to [email protected], or drop your question in the r/ScottGalloway subreddit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As read by George Hahn. https://www.profgmedia.com/p/moonshot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott Galloway addresses concerns about muscle loss on GLP-1 drugs and explains why he's still bullish, unpacks the financial and emotional strain of supporting aging family members, and makes the case for putting the pedal down on your career before it's too late. Want to be featured in a future episode? Send a voice recording to [email protected], or drop your question in the r/ScottGalloway subreddit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices