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Yan Junjie

The latest news and top stories on Yan Junjie. As CEO of MiniMax, an AI unicorn he founded in December 2021, Yan Junjie leads the development of advanced AI foundational and multimodal models. With over a decade in AI research and development, including a background as a former Vice President at SenseTime, his expertise lies in deep learning and AI infrastructure. Under his leadership, MiniMax has launched successful products like the AI companion app Talkie and the video generator Hailuo AI, attracting significant investment and achieving a valuation exceeding $4 billion. His vision focuses on making "Intelligence with Everyone" a reality.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has urged a deeper implementation of the country’s ‘AI plus’ strategy. Photo: AP

Artificial intelligence

China’s Li Qiang hosts Moonshot AI chief, urges faster industrial AI roll-out

Beijing signals stronger push to embed AI in manufacturing as premier meets rising start-up founders and industry leaders.

10 Apr 2026 - 11:30PM

Artificial intelligence

What Zhipu and MiniMax’s first post-IPO earnings say about the 2 AI start-ups

2 Apr 2026 - 10:00AM

Artificial intelligence

China’s MiniMax releases AI model ‘designed for real-world productivity’

13 Feb 2026 - 6:41PM

Artificial intelligence

China signals global AI push as MiniMax CEO joins meeting with Premier Li Qiang

Last January, DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng met the Chinese premier in the same setting following the start-up’s rapid rise to prominence.

20 Jan 2026 - 2:17PM

Premier Li Qiang on Monday met with leading figures from China’s business, culture and education spheres. Photo: CCTV

Artificial intelligence

MiniMax and Zhipu’s stellar Hong Kong IPOs supercharge China’s AI ambitions

Zhipu’s coding assistant is wooing subscribers with a monthly fee of about US$3, a fraction of what Anthropic charges for Claude.

9 Jan 2026 - 5:00PM

IPO

Chinese AI start-up MiniMax shines on Hong Kong IPO debut

The shares jump as much as 113.2 per cent to HK$351.80 before ending the day 109.1 per cent higher at HK$345.

9 Jan 2026 - 5:07PM

IPO

MiniMax’s Hong Kong IPO set to hit US$538 million amid Chinese AI sector frenzy

The Alibaba-backed firm is set to price its 25.4 million shares at HK$165 each, the top end of its marketed range, sources say.

5 Jan 2026 - 4:39PM

MiniMax, founded in early 2022 by former SenseTime veteran Yan Junjie, develops multimodal AI models. Photo: Shutterstock

IPO

China AI start-up MiniMax kicks off US$538 million Hong Kong IPO

Start of Shanghai-based company’s share sale follows launch of rival Zhipu’s US$560 million IPO a day earlier.

31 Dec 2025 - 11:20AM

Artificial intelligence

China’s Zhipu and MiniMax release latest AI models ahead of Hong Kong listing

The near-simultaneous release on Monday underscores the two firms’ efforts to drum up interest for their respective Hong Kong IPOs.

23 Dec 2025 - 8:00PM

Ant Group

China fintech giant Ant upgrades AI health app to tap eldercare, wellness demand

App AQ integrates Apple and Huawei devices, adds family health profiles and smart reminders to boost user engagement.

16 Dec 2025 - 8:00AM

Ant Group’s AI health app AQ has accumulated 15 million monthly active users since its launch in June 2025. Photo: Handout

IPO

China’s generative AI tiger MiniMax pursues Hong Kong IPO to expand global reach

Hong Kong equity market offers platform for mainland Chinese AI firms seeking international investors amid intensifying domestic competition.

15 Dec 2025 - 1:29PM

MiniMax plans to beef up its research and development. Photo: Handout

Artificial intelligence

Beyond DeepSeek: Moonshot and MiniMax step up as China’s new frontier AI labs

DeepSeek might be grabbing the headlines, but Chinese start-ups Moonshot AI and MiniMax are emerging as serious rivals to US frontier labs.

7 Jan 2026 - 12:31PM

Artificial intelligence

Ant Group picks AI-assisted healthcare as growth area in ageing China

The elevation of the business marks one of Ant’s most significant pivots since its cancelled IPO five years ago.

7 Nov 2025 - 6:00PM

United States

Pop Mart targets mobile phones with mini Labubus as it aims to double sales

Pop Mart can easily double its 2025 sales to US$4.2 billion, as the company is poised to launch a mini version of its Labubu dolls next week, CEO says.

22 Aug 2025 - 8:44PMvideocam

Pop Mart’s founder and CEO Wang Ning with a mini Labubu plush toy during the company’s post-earnings press conference in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Photo: Handout

Artificial intelligence

Shanghai expo sets stage for US-China face-off in heated AI race

Business leaders who will speak at the main forum include former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, MiniMax founder Yan Junjie and SenseTime CEO Xu Li.

25 Jul 2025 - 6:00PM

An AI sign is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, July 6, 2023. Photo: Reuters

IPO

MiniMax, the ‘world-class’ AI start-up lauded by Nvidia’s Huang, plans IPO

MiniMax aimed to raise between HK$4 billion and HK$5 billion, but its deal size and valuation could change depending on market conditions, Reuters said.

16 Jul 2025 - 9:18PM