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In focus
- Thu Huong Le on Asian minds building the world’s game-changing AI models
- An update on Sky Mavis, the name behind Axie Infinity
- The Sandbox crashes into reality
Hello reader,
In Vietnam, where I’m based, the streets have been buzzing for months. The country is celebrating 80 years of independence – VN80 – with flags, banners, and decorations on nearly every corner. Patriotism is everywhere you look.
But beneath the festivities lies a bigger question. Vietnam has long sought to lure overseas talent, especially in tech, to strengthen its competitiveness. Adding to that challenge is the AI race, and the country can’t afford to sit it out or settle for being a low-cost outsourcing hub.
Image credit: Timmy Loen
Outsourcing itself is losing ground as AI reshapes what companies need. The good news is that Vietnam doesn’t lack talent.
As my colleague Duc Tran highlights in this week’s top editor’s pick, nine Vietnamese researchers and scientists made it to the list of Asian contributors behind some of the world’s most prominent AI models. The country is the third-most represented in the list, coming after China and India.
But will they return home for inspiration or remain in the US to build world-changing products?
Speaking of Vietnamese talent, Trung Nguyen, co-founder and CEO of Sky Mavis – the company behind Axie Infinity – stands out as a prime example. After weathering one of the biggest hacks in crypto history, Sky Mavis has emerged more sustainable and, as our writer Miguel Cordon puts it, now “plays the game a bit differently.”
You’ll have to read my second favorite story this week to see what I mean.
Meanwhile, I’m off to join the VN80 celebrations.
Thu Huong Le, managing editor
Editor’s picks
1️⃣ The Asian brains forging AI models at OpenAI, Google, Meta
One data story you shouldn’t miss
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