Tech to the fore after Malaysia reshuffle?

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Hello readers,

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a lot better at asking for help.

I know now that no man is an island, but in the past, some of the more negative aspects of masculinity had me thinking that asking for help showed weakness. Now, I’m (slightly) more comfortable admitting when I don’t have all the answers or when I need some support.

One of the most refreshing things I’ve found about the tech ecosystem in this part of the world is how willing folks are to ask for help. Almost everyone wants to learn from each other.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently got himself some more help via a Cabinet reshuffle. Today’s premium story from my colleague Emmanuel dives into the implications of the reshuffle, including why it may be good news for tech, but perhaps less of a boon for the electric vehicle industry.

Today we look at:

• Reading the tea leaves as ministers move in Malaysia
• Northstar Group closing an early-stage fund with US$140 million
• Other newsy highlights such as OpenAI suspending ByteDance’s account over an alleged license breach and a TikTok rival in India reaching a big milestone.

Premium summary

Reshuffle kerfuffle in Malaysia

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has switched up his Cabinet for the first time since taking office just over a year ago.

Reforms in the tech space may be on the cards, as the reshuffle has brought more ministers into play.

• Familiar faces: Two key ministers for the tech industry retained their titles. Rafizi Ramli will continue to lead the Economic Affairs Ministry, while Chang Lih Kang will stay on as minister of science, innovation, and technology. This may signal a continued focus on wooing tech investments and the digitalization of public services.
• Make like a banana and split: As part of the restructuring, Anwar split two ministries. The Communications and Digital Ministry has been divided into two different departments, while Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change will break up into the ministries of Energy Transition and Public Utilities, and Natural Resources and Sustainability. It’s unclear if the environment ministry will continue with its electric vehicle push.
• Helping hand: Anwar also appointed Amir Hamzah Azizan as a second finance minister, with the PM still the primary finance minister. Amir Hamzah brings experience in government-owned companies from his time as CEO of the Employees Provident Fund, which could point to reforms that will impact tech, given that such companies have been told to invest in startups. However, it remains to be seen how much power he will have to bring original ideas to the table.

Read more: Tech policy changes loom as Malaysia reshuffles Cabinet

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