"Not Doing Something Would Be a Waste of This Era" | Interview with Indigo: Took Companies Public; Invested in OpenAI, Anthropic; 300% Returns on US Stocks

Indigo bought US stocks and delivered a 300% annualized return; as an investor, he backed OpenAI and Anthropic. After his company went public, Indigo became the person most entitled to coast — yet he has remained consistently active for years. Where does his drive come from?

In an era when AI generates headline news daily, many people feel anxious about information overload. Indigo maintains a steady rhythm of short social media posts alongside in-depth articles on his newsletter. We marvel at his learning efficiency and sustained output. Where does his passion come from?

As an early employee of Weibo, Indigo participated in and witnessed the company's journey from founding to IPO — the dawn of the mobile internet era. Most people would assume an early employee and executive could retire after an IPO, yet Indigo left Weibo and soon threw himself into live-streaming e-commerce. The company he co-founded became today's Meione. Around the pandemic, he immersed himself in studying stocks and AI. Now, as a founder, investor, and observer, he actively participates in this generation's generative AI startup wave. He always seems to make choices that are both interesting and profitable. Where does his wisdom come from?

During our conversation, one line from Indigo stuck with both of us: "I'd feel like I was letting this era down if I didn't do something." Right now, it's easy to feel depressed, but positive action remains the better solution. We've always wanted to use this podcast to share more stories of positive action with people, and we hope today's content brings that same feeling. We look forward to your thoughts in the comments.

Find Indigo on social media: newsletter "Indigo Digital Mirror," podcast "Indigo Talk"

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🎬 Timeline:

1:04 First trip to New York was for Weibo's IPO bell-ringing

4:42 Weibo's development and challenges

6:41 Many people disappear after emigrating, but Indigo stayed active

10:08 Living on "Cloud Computing Street" in San Francisco — investment insights gained

14:34 In the generative AI wave: which companies invested, how

21:57 Participating in OpenAI and Anthropic investments

24:48 How to define AGI

28:25 Human imaginings of AI awakening — it was all written in a book

32:31 Almost bought Anthropic stock alongside Professor Hinton

36:48 The story of founding live-streaming e-commerce company "Meione"

39:42 How to make choices: massive, effective, diverse information input to form intuitive judgment

46:02 AI tools used daily

49:34 Lessons from 300% returns on US stocks

57:27 The inner drive behind years of staying active

1:00:12 "I'd feel like I was letting this era down if I didn't do something"

1:00:52 If you were Doraemon coming back from the future

1:06:25 How do you spend a day?

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🔵 "Doraemon of the AI Era" Content Series:

We interview and bring together "positive actors" of the AI era — today's Doraemon: full of curiosity and imagination, anxious and complaining at times, but mostly taking positive action and solving problems, bringing us forward momentum.

In this series, we interview entrepreneurs, investors, and indie developers in the AI era to see what fun gadgets we can pull from their "four-dimensional pockets."

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🚦 Welcome to subscribe to "Crossroads." We follow the industry changes and new entrepreneurial opportunities brought by the new wave of AI technology. Crossroads is Steve Jobs' metaphor for Apple — standing at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, where great products are born. AI is transforming industries across the board. We seek out, interview, and bring together "positive actors" of the AI era to explore and embrace new changes and new possibilities together.

👦🏻 Host Koji: Co-founder of The Fair and Tangping Island, also someone actively diving into AI. On Jike: a self-introduction from Koji

👧🏻 Host Ronghui: Works at a tech VC, former Silicon Valley correspondent for Yicai Weekly. On Jike

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Welcome to join the Crossroads membership group. Add assistant on WeChat Rwkfbcianvd to join:

🦀 Daily "AI Fresh News Morning Brief"

👫🏻 Encouraging everyone to date/make friends/find future companions

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🎄 This podcast is supported by "The Fair Sound Forest Podcast Project."