Tech Titans of China: New Book by Rebecca A. Fannin
Tech Titans of China
How China’s Tech Sector is Changing the World by Innovating Faster, Working Harder & Going Global
By Rebecca A. Fannin
Rebecca A. Fannin is a leading expert on global innovation. As a technology writer, author and media entrepreneur, she began her career as a journalist covering venture capital from Silicon Valley. Following the VC money, she became one of the first American journalists to write about China’s entrepreneurial boom, reporting from Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Today, Rebecca leads Silicon Dragon Ventures and is a special correspondent for CNBC.com. Rebecca’s journalistic career has taken her to the world’s leading hubs of tech innovation, and her articles have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and several thought leadership publications.
Rebecca’s first book, Silicon Dragon: How China is Winning the Tech Race (McGraw-Hill 2008), profiled Jack Ma of Alibaba and Robin Li of Baidu, and she has followed these Chinese tech titans ever since. Her second book, Startup Asia (Wiley 2011), explored how India is the next up and comer, which again predicted a leading-edge trend. She also contributed the Asia chapter to a textbook, Innovation in Emerging Markets (Palgrave Macmillan 2016). Her latest book, Tech Titans of China, is published by Hachette’s Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Inspired by the entrepreneurs she met and interviewed in China, Rebecca became a media entrepreneur herself. In 2010, she formed the widely followed media and events platform Silicon Dragon Ventures, which publishes a weekly e-newsletter, produces videos and podcasts, and programs regular events in innovation hubs globally.
Rebecca frequently speaks at major business, tech and policy forums, and is a commentator for major broadcast and print media. She resides in New York City and San Francisco, and logs major frequent flier miles in her grassroots search to cover the next, new thing.
18 ENDORSEMENTS
“It seems impossible to keep up with China’s mammoth Internet companies, nimble and aggressive tech entrepreneurs and voracious venture capitalists as they stretch across the globe at ‘China speed.’ But not for Rebecca Fannin, a trusted insider and the ultimate chronicler of this crowd, who in this landmark book explores and explains how China is rushing to define the future of commercial technology.”
James McGregor, author, One Billion Customers: Lessons From the Front Lines of Doing Business in China.
“There are plenty of reasons to be unhappy with the way China operates. That said, it is important to see the big picture. Rebecca describes in detail many of the things that China is doing well. Those who do not learn from their competitors are doomed. We need this book.”
Ken Wilcox, Chairman of the Board, Asia Society Northern California, and Chairman Emeritus, Silicon Valley Bank
Tech Titans of China is the most complete and updated chronicle of China’s meteoric rise from imitator to innovator in the past decade.“
Kai-Fu Lee, CEO, Sinovation Ventures, former president of Google China, and author of bestseller AI Superpowers
No one knows China’s tech world the way Rebecca Fannin does. Tech Titans of China is a fascinating read, and will quickly become the go-to resource for anyone who wants to know who the key players are and how China’s tech sector is giving the U.S. a run for its money.
Dorinda Elliott, SVP, China Institute; former Beijing bureau chief, Newsweek
Rebecca Fannin has been observing at close range the hyper-fast growth of the Chinese tech sector for the past two decades. In this energetic and entertaining book, she expertly guides the reader through the Chinese tech jungle, showcasing the creativity, risk-taking, pedal-to-the-metal work ethic and rags-to-riches stories that are its features. With the U.S. and China facing off as tech rivals, this book is essential reading for anyone keen to understand what is at stake.
John L. Holden, Senior Director, McLarty Associates; past president, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
“Rebecca writes the must-read book for anyone who cares about where tech is about to go over the next decade and introduces to us how the Chinese ecosystem works and the players in it.”
Robert Scoble, Futurist
“As one of the first journalists to cover the Chinese technology and investment juggernaut, Rebecca’s Tech Titans of China gives us all an insiders’ ring side seat into this dynamic and growing power.”
Brian Cohen, Chairman Emeritus, New York Angels, and author, What Every Angel Investor Wants You to Know
“Very few people know more about the rise of China as a competitor to the U.S. than Rebecca Fannin. Tech Titans of China clearly lays out the battle for world supremacy.”
Harry Edelson, Chairman, China Investment Group
“More often than not, Rebecca Fannin has the first line on players in China’s ‘new economy’ for those of us keeping score at home.”
Tim Ferguson, Former Editor, Forbes Asia
In Tech Titans of China, Fannin once again provides both a panoramic and a detailed view of China’s rapidly evolving tech sector. From the now well-established Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent to the new cutting-edge start-ups that most Westerners have never heard of, Fannin provides the background and trajectory that would be useful for investors, founders, academics and policy-makers. With breathtaking breadth, we are shown the full gamut of China’s activities in tech – from ride-sharing to biotech to entertainment. China 2025 may be under the radar, but it is, without a doubt, alive and well. Not only do we learn about the businesses, the entrepreneurs themselves and their business models but the dynamic venture capital sector behind it all. The tables in the book, alone, are worth the purchase. It would be impossible to get this comprehensive an exposition of China’s tech sector anywhere else – a great informative read on China’s technological prowess without the cost of hiring your own consultant. I strongly recommend Rebecca Fannin’s Tech Titans of China.
Ronald M. Schramm, PhD
Author, The Chinese Macroeconomy and Financial System
Visiting Associate Professor, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and CEIBS, Shanghai
“The Middle Kingdom, not Silicon Valley, is now the center of the tech universe. Tech Titans of China gives us a very clear and concrete China innovation 101, and lays out how China tech giants are creating their own technology universe and leading modern day’s artificial intelligence, communication, financial, retail, transportation, and live streaming sectors.”
Edith Yeung, Creator of China Internet Report, Partner at Proof of Capital and 500 Startups
“Global innovation expert and China guru Rebecca Fannin has penned a brilliant, information-packed, cogent and engaging volume that is a must-read for anyone interested in China and its continuing technology prowess.”
Jerry Haar and Ricardo Ernst, professors respectively at Florida International University and Georgetown, and co-authors of Innovation in Emerging Markets
“Rebecca Fannin has done us all a great service, to de-mystify the Chinese tech scene. We all need to appreciate this much more than we currently do."
Craig Allen, President, US-China Business Council
“Tech Titans of China is a must read for anyone seeking to understand the entrepreneurial dynamics and business model innovations of China’s leading tech companies and how they will transform the world as they go global.”
Poh Kam Wong, Professor, NUS Business School and Senior Director, NUS Enterprise, Singapore
"Make no mistake, China will be an increasingly powerful global competitor across every major emerging tech category and market. Rebecca is without peer when it comes to understanding China’s emergence. The key messages of Tech Titans of China align perfectly with my own observations of China's rise from low cost manufacturer to global innovation powerhouse. Increasingly, I am using Chinese companies, not Silicon Valley ones, as reference points. If you care about the future of innovation, then this is an absolute must read book."
Mike Grandinetti
Faculty Chairman: Rutgers "Leading Disruptive Innovation" Executive Program
Faculty Member: MIT Enterprise Forum Startup Founders Program
Global Professor: Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Marketing, Hult International Business School
“Whatever the debate may be about Chinese government policies, no one should believe that China’s private companies aren’t innovative. Technological capacity in China is growing and entrepreneurial energy is high, with massive entrepreneur-founded companies striding the landscape, and unicorns lined up behind them in numbers second only to the United States. Understanding who these companies are, how they got there, and how they operate is critical for anyone competing in China, and will be increasingly important for U.S. companies competing elsewhere in Asia. Rececca Fannin’s new book couldn’t be more timely.”
Sean Randolph, Senior Director, Bay Area Council Economic Institution
“Rebecca Fannin’s insightful and timely analysis of the rise of Chinese tech and innovation is must reading for every entrepreneur and investor. Fannin provides a fascinating insiders introduction to the key players, trends, companies and hot Chinese innovation sectors that are deeply affecting global markets and represent huge potential opportunities and threats. If you want to understand what is at stake in the looming trade war between the US and China and how it will definitely transform your business, then get this book now.”
Jon Medved, CEO, OurCrowd
“Within half a generation, Chinese entrepreneurs went from being humble copycats to aggressive tigers. The transformation was aided both by misguided US immigration policies that caused a skilled immigrant exodus and Chinese government support. Rebecca Fannin brilliantly illustrates the results in this eye opening book.”
Vivek Wadhwa, Distinguished Fellow and Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Engineering; Distinguished Fellow, Harvard Law School, Labor and Work Life Program; Author, The Immigrant Exodus