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Hello readers,

Brace yourself: Singapore’s Circles Life has just launched an eSIM plan that lets users sign up and activate their mobile plans without a physical SIM card. But wait — don’t telco providers have the most to lose from this technology, given that it makes switching carriers easier?

Find out more in this article or scroll down for a short summary.

But first, your quick bytes for today:

1️⃣ While Microsoft continues its talks to buy TikTok in the US, other Chinese apps could also be in danger — US President Donald Trump will likely “take action in the coming days” against Chinese software companies, suggested US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

2️⃣ The founder of ByteDance has spoken: He understands the decision of the US that TikTok’s operations in the country need to be fully divested, but he disagrees with it.

3️⃣ Chinese financial giant Ant Group is looking to raise around US$30 billion in its current IPO in Hong Kong and Shanghai. That’s going to be record-breaking, as it would surpass Saudi Arabian oil giant Saudi Aramco’s US$29.4 billion IPO.

4️⃣ Zoom lovers in China are going to be disappointed: The US-based video-chat service will soon stop offering its direct services to China-based users due to the rising political tension between the two countries. But users in Mainland China may continue to join Zoom meetings as participants.

5️⃣ A few big fundraises are coming up: DST Global is very close to investing about US$400 million in Byju’s. Read: How a part-time math tutor created the world’s most valuable edtech company. Chinese Tesla challenger Xpeng Motors is getting an additional US$300 million before going public.

6️⃣ A Chinese AI firm is suing Apple after it was awarded a Chinese patent for a voice assistant similar to Apple’s Siri.

HR in Tech Report 2020

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