A recent survey from South Korea reveals a significant boost in the country’s top 500 companies’ performance in 2024. Operating profits soared by 66% compared to 2023, reaching KRW73 trillion (approx. US$51.1 billion), with the semiconductor industry leading the charge. Major players such as SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics are driving the country’s IT and electronics sector, contributing to an astounding 854% increase in operating profits for the industry as a whole.

Every spring, Apple convenes its top 100 executives in an offsite meeting to chart the company’s strategic direction. The 2025 meeting was focused on a critical issue—Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, and its lagging performance in the rapidly advancing world of artificial intelligence (AI). Unlike many of its tech rivals, Apple has been slow to build out AI-focused data centers, but recent moves suggest the company is finally positioning itself to compete in the generative AI (GenAI) space.

China’s EV industry is now building on the past glories of its automotive sector. The much-criticized issue of “overcapacity” seems to be a perpetual non-concern. Outdated, low-quality EVs are sent to the scrapyard during market transitions. China’s system naturally eliminates laggards that fail to keep pace. The Chinese assure the world there is no need to worry unnecessarily, emphasizing that they possess greater resilience and flexibility than other nations to tolerate failures. Even if only three EV manufacturers remain profitable, the Chinese will not falter.