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What is being built, from Asia's open models to Vietnam's super apps, who is funding it, and what it means for you.

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"The West is loud. The East is quiet. You get both stories."San Eng

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Top 5 from the East, top 5 from the West, with source links, and what it means for you.

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The latest Daily

Big Tech Borrows to Build AI, and the Platforms Win the Buyer

Alphabet's free cash flow is negative for a second quarter and Microsoft borrows $25 billion. Who pays for AI, and who captures the buyer?

Friday 30 October 2026

Who pays for AI, and who captures the buyer. Chart from the 30 Oct Daily.Who pays for AI, and who captures the buyer. Chart from the 30 Oct Daily.
From the 30 Oct Daily. Sources: Alphabet and Microsoft results; Microsoft bond pricing, 29 October 2026; IDC via 36Kr.

Latest editions

Yesterday's East, today's edge.

30 Oct 2026

Big Tech Borrows to Build AI, and the Platforms Win the Buyer

Alphabet's free cash flow is negative for a second quarter and Microsoft borrows $25 billion. Who pays for AI, and who captures the buyer?

29 Oct 2026

Vietnam's Alibaba-Amazon Moment in AI

AI agents and the Global South, from my Bloomberg Businessweek Vietnam interview.

27 Oct 2026

Alibaba Gave Them a Shop. Amazon Gave Them Fulfilment. AI Agents Give Them a Global Team.

The Alibaba and Amazon moment for the Global South, as Anthropic files for its IPO and China's industrial profits jump 14.4%.

Start here

Six issues to read first.

Three from Asia and three from the US or global, newest first.

29 Oct 2026AsiaVietnam's Alibaba-Amazon Moment in AI
27 Oct 2026AsiaAlibaba Gave Them a Shop. Amazon Gave Them Fulfilment. AI Agents Give Them a Global Team.
23 Oct 2026US or globalDon't Lose Money Selling Tokens
22 Oct 2026US or globalDon't Be a Dead Fish
21 Oct 2026AsiaDeepSeek and Google Open Their AI Stacks as China Queues $35bn for Nvidia Chips
20 Oct 2026US or globalChina and Silicon Valley Race to Loosen Nvidia's Grip, and the Money Follows

In the press

San Eng interviewed by Bloomberg Businessweek Vietnam at the Autumn Economic Forum, Ho Chi Minh City
Bloomberg interview, 15:58

Bloomberg Businessweek Vietnam: Sitting on the Alibaba-Amazon Moment in AI for the Global South.

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Sourced and checked before we publish, with anything unconfirmed labelled as reported. East/West AIpha is written with the ikiCrew, our AI agents. Every issue is the view of San, his coauthors and partners. Every Daily carries a holdings line.

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