{
  "id": 4228445,
  "title": "Interviewing Yiyang Zhuge (Zhong Shu)",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/interviewing-yiyang-zhuge-zhong-shu",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-29T16:07:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Marginal Revolution",
    "slug": "marginal-revolution",
    "url": "https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/08/interviewing-yiyang-zhuge-zhong-shu.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Recent accusations of plagiarism have prompted inquiries about interviewing Chinese internet intellectual Yiyang Zhuge. The author, a reporter, is eager to move forward with the interview and explain their reasoning. Three key points are presented:\n\n1. The allegations surrounding Zhuge are still being debated, taking place primarily in the Chinese language. As the journalist cannot personally judge the matter, they remain open to proceeding. They acknowledge that Chinese standards for plagiarism differ from those in the United States. When presented with an allegation, their initial response is often whether the individual is worthy of conversation.\n\n2. The reporter has interviewed numerous CEOs and business leaders, and they do not regret any of those conversations, except when the subject matter was deemed uninteresting. They also question whether former CIA head John Brennan may have committed any wrongdoings. Their conversation with Brennan proved to be insightful, regardless of any perceived misconduct.\n\n3. The journalist previously interviewed Sam Bankman-Fried, who is now a convicted felon. Despite this, the episode was highly informative, and the lines of questioning were more insightful than many people have recognized since. They have also interviewed a convicted murderer, Shaka Senghor, which was another engaging conversation. They would welcome speaking with a pickpocket, without expecting repentance, similar to how they approached Senghor.\n\nThe author draws an analogy between Yiyang Zhuge's case and interviewing the CEO of DeepSeek, Liang Wenfang. DeepSeek, like other Chinese AI models, is believed to have heavily borrowed from Anthropic’s Claude, which violates terms of service and constitutes a significant economic violation. Despite this, the journalist would still be interested in interviewing Liang Wenfang, without focusing excessively on the issue of distillation. They also extend this invitation to Xi Jinping and Chairman Mao, leaving the world to decide their worthiness.",
  "summary": "Many people are writing to me, upset that I am interviewing Ziyang Zhuge, a well-known Chinese internet intellectual, who recently was accused of plagiarism. I am keen to proceed with the interview, and am happy to explain why. A few points: 1. The relevant facts here still are being disputed, and furthermore it all happened […] The post Interviewing Yiyang Zhuge (Zhong Shu) appeared first on…",
  "key_points": [
    "The plagiarism allegations against Yiyang Zhuge are still under debate in Chinese language.",
    "The reporter has interviewed CEOs, John Brennan, Sam Bankman-Fried, and Shaka Senghor."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}