Hello from Las Vegas. After a three-month sabbatical, it feels refreshing to be back at work — and I’m excited to resume hosting the weekly #techAsia newsletter. I’m currently in Sin City covering CES, the world’s largest technology show, where Asian companies have a strong presence, led by those from South Korea and followed closely by their Chinese counterparts.
The US feels markedly different since Trump returned to power. On past trips, immigrant Uber drivers would tell me how they love the country’s freedoms; this year, an Iranian American driver who has lived in the US for 25 years — and has been a citizen for 17 — told me he now carries his passport everywhere in case he is targeted for detention or deportation because of his appearance.
CES is once again full of “world’s first” claims, from pocket-sized AI companions to AI cooking machines and robot mops. My impression from a quick walk around the show floor, though, is that many of these ideas have been around for years and have just been rebranded with fresh buzzwords. AI companions, for example, particularly from Chinese companies eyeing Japan, are everywhere this year, but there’s little sign of meaningful progress in either design or functionality.