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China’s tech advances are causing chaos from Silicon Valley to the White House

New AI models, advanced robots and specialty computer chips are unsettling markets and the US tech industry Over the past month, a series of advancements in China’s artificial intelligence, chip manufacturing and robotics technologies have rattled financial markets, caused divisions among US tech moguls and left the Trump administration scrambling to respond. Silicon Valley has long pointed to…

China’s tech advances are causing chaos from Silicon Valley to the White House

Silicon Valley has always been known for its love of young college dropout founders. Arlan Rakhmetzhanov, a 19-year-old, is a prime example. He began coding at 15 in Kazakhstan, attended a few summer programs in San Francisco, and cold-DM'ed Y Combinator founders on LinkedIn, eventually securing an angel check for his first company at 17.

Nozomio, his AI agent API index, has raised over $6 million in funding. Young founders like Rakhmetzhanov and Pranjali Awasthi, 19, are building under new pressures. While investors are funding more young companies, they expect rapid growth and scrutinize every misstep publicly. Awasthi, who dropped out of high school to launch an AI startup, now builds a new company in stealth mode.

The pressure has become more intense, with investors scrutinizing every raise, milestone, and pivot on social media. Founders must now show off their success aggressively, leading to an extreme culture of performance and appearance.

Written by urgent.news from TechCrunch's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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