As U.S. plots a ban on TikTok, the video sharing sensation, China has thrown confusion by making it very clear: you can sell TikTok but you cannot sell the AI which makes it what it is. Yes, China is banning the export of special AI. Interestingly, it is the AI that companies like Microsoft, Oracle, etc are actually racing to lay their hands on. Everyone knows the ingredients in the TikTok soup is the good stockfish of AI which China is the world’s leader when it is prepared on mobile for the consumer village square. Without that AI, it is just another boring short video dumping site!

China announced new restrictions on artificial-intelligence technology exports that could further complicate the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations, while intensifying the tech battle between the world’s two largest economies.

The new restrictions, unveiled Friday by China’s ministries in charge of commerce and science and technology, cover such computing and data-processing technologies as text analysis, content recommendation, speech modeling and voice-recognition.

Here is the explanation.

The company is concerned that the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly announced the “Announcement on Adjusting and Issuing the Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted to Export” on August 28. The company will strictly abide by the “Regulations on the Administration of Technology Import and Export of the People’s Republic of China” and “China The Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited from Exporting and Restricted Exports deals with related businesses related to technology export.

Now, you know what is happening: Reels can go and win via Instagram but the consensus is that Reels is not as cool as TikTok. China wants it that way: keep the ingredients of AI home. Pity ByteDance (TikTok’s parent) investors: they are between a deep blue sea and a devil here.

In geography, an oasis is an isolated area in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source, such as a pond or small lake. Oases also provide habitat for animals and even humans if the area is big enough.  In any business, there is an oasis (a product or service) which supports every aspect of that organization. Do you know the oasis in your business?

Your best product is the oasis in your business. Every other product feeds on that best product. If you build your investment around that main product, you will find success, because those investments will have a clear “customer”, and that reduces market risks. In other words, if your new business investments are geared to support the best product, and the best product is doing well, it means the risks on the new investments will be easily managed. Provided the best product continues to do well, demand on the new investment is assured. That is the One Oasis Strategy.

The One Oasis Strategy

Dear Community,

Yesterday (Saturday), our Faculty and the Managing Director of TrustBanc Capital, Mr. Azeez Lawal, was scheduled to lead a Tekedia Live session on Fundraising. But due to a mix-up between our U.S. and Owerri teams, he was left with the wrong Live access login. We sincerely apologize for that mistake to our Faculty and to the whole community.

This week (of Aug 31), we will have 4 sessions to compensate for that blown scheduling. The following Faculty members are scheduled: Azeez Lawal (TrustBanc), Engr Dr Chisom Ezeocha (Shell), Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe (Tekedia Institute), and Ayodele Adenaike (GIG Logistics). Please visit Week 11 Board for links from Monday at 12 noon WAT.

Regards,

Tekedia Team

Many questions on why iROKOtv may be pausing efforts to grow in Nigeria and Africa. This is part of our course in Tekedia Mini-MBA. As Jason Njoku noted, it comes down to unit economics and marginal cost.  Sorry, I cannot share the class note. But this video will help many.

The Group CEO of Weco Systems, Nnamdi Onyebuchi, a Tekedia Institute Faculty and excitingly my undergraduate classmate in FUTO shared this. One of our members was moved to send this note to him. Nnamdi (trying not to use his nickname, you do not mess up with CEOs!) developed a course on aligning technology investments and strategic business objectives. After his class, I received a note from a Kenyan businessman who joined us.

The man wrote: “Professor, I made a change in my company today; the Head IT now goes to my Head Strategy for direction unlike what we had before”. That change may seem simple but it is a big call, and it is right.

Tekedia Mini-MBA continues to advance business communities.