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Hi,
“What’s the place like?”
This is a question I’m often asked by friends, Romans, and countrymen (well, not Romans, but you know) about working at Tech in Asia.
While you can DM me for the answer, I realize my response isn’t always just about Tech in Asia. Instead, it’s somewhat colored by all the workplaces I’ve been at before.
I think what you are saying about your office is also at least partly a reflection of what you’ve experienced in the past.
The experience for those who’ve recently worked at Kumu, the livestreaming platform headquartered in the Philippines, has been somewhat bittersweet.
Take the example of one person who was at a company party only months after Kumu had seen a second round of layoffs: “We were joking at that time saying, ‘We’re gonna party today but we’re gonna get laid off tomorrow, maybe,’” they said.
The third round of dismissals came soon after.
In the last year, nearly 50% of its staff have exited in a mix of layoffs and resignations. Collin and Candice unpack what went down at Kumu in this week’s premium story.
The story cites how some of Kumu’s bets didn’t pan out. These bets include spending on creating premium intellectual properties and paying out huge sums to top livestreaming influencers in a bid to acquire new users. Allegedly, not much was done to retain them.
We have another special story for you – this one’s an introduction to the new kid on Vietnam’s ride-hailing block.
Pham Nhat Vuong, the billionaire behind conglomerate Vingroup and electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast, has kickstarted an electric-vehicle ride-hailing service called Green SM Taxi.
Considering the vast resources backing this newbie, Green SM Taxi might just be a player worth watching in the game that Grab has dominated for the nine years in Vietnam, reports Huong.
You know what else is all-dominating these days? AI. More on this fantastic beast and its governance in AI Odyssey.
THE BIG STORIES
AI ODYSSEY
FYI
NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW
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