Conversations with creators and thinkers who are charting the way forward in a tech-saturated society. Tech, community, video games, and whatever else is next.

June 14, 2021: Cupertino, Cuban, crypto, Cadence, Cena, China, and calling cicadas

Listen to this show:  Pop-up player!

(Source)

(Source)

Tonight: Cupertino, Cuban, crypto, Cadence, Cena, China, and calling cicadas

Links:

• Surviving the Crackdown in Xinjiang (by Raffi Khatchadourian, New Yorker, April 12, 2021 issue): "As mass detentions and surveillance dominate the lives of China’s Uyghurs and Kazakhs, a woman struggles to free herself."

• H&M Is Erased From Chinese E-Commerce Over Xinjiang Stance (by Eva Xiao in WSJ, March 25, 2021): "Apps block searches for clothing retailer after it stops sourcing from the region, escalating a clash between Beijing and Western companies."

• U.S. Blocked Uniqlo Shirts on Xinjiang Forced-Labor Concerns (Bloomberg, May 19, 2021). As Adrian Zenz points out: "U.S. Customs and Border Protection is not releasing Uniqlo shirts despite initial evidence produced by Uniqlo. The CBP requires Uniqlo to provide comprehensive evidence that they are not made with Uyghur forced labor, setting a very high bar."

• Japan’s Muji Appeals to China by Advertising Use of Xinjiang Cotton (by Megumi Fujikawa in WSJ, May 11, 2021): “On its online store in China, Muji includes the words ‘Xinjiang cotton’ next to several items. The move was well-received by Chinese social-network users, some of whom said on the Twitter-like Weibo platform that they recognized the company’s eagerness to stay on the country’s good side. Muji executives have said they see China as a growth driver after the company’s U.S. unit was forced last year to seek protection under U.S. bankruptcy laws. Muji expects to have more than 300 stores in China by August.”

• Bari Weiss interviews Mark Cuban on the second episode of her new Honestly podcast (June 13, 2021).

• Censorship, Surveillance and Profits: A Hard Bargain for Apple in China (by Jack Nicas, Raymond Zhong and Daisuke Wakabayashi, NYT, May 17, 2021): "Apple [is] preparing to store the personal data of its Chinese customers on computer servers run by a state-owned Chinese firm." ... "A Times analysis found that tens of thousands of apps have disappeared from Apple’s Chinese App Store over the past several years, more than previously known, including foreign news outlets, gay dating services and encrypted messaging apps. It also blocked tools for organizing pro-democracy protests and skirting internet restrictions, as well as apps about the Dalai Lama."

• John Cena video (posted to Twitter on May 24, 2021). Joe Xu writes, "John Cena apologized in Chinese on Sina Weibo after calling Taiwan a country during an interview promoting Fast & Furious 9."

- - -

Sign up to get Mark's weekly email newsletter. You can also join Mark's Creative Good community.

PAST EPISODES: techtonic.fm lists recent Techtonic shows

PODCAST: Subscribe to the Techtonic podcast