Amy Chen

Co-Founder & Advisor | AI, Data, Growth | Podcast & Substack

[Luiza Jarovsky, PhD @LuizaJarovsky]

🚨 BREAKING: Taiwan enacted its basic law on AI, which includes, among other innovative provisions, detailed AI governance principles and LABOR RIGHTS for humans who lose their jobs due to AI. Other countries should take note:

According to the law's third article, the research and application of AI in Taiwan should adhere to the following principles (read them carefully):

1. Sustainability: It should consider mental health, social equity, and environmental sustainability, reducing potential health risks or digital disparities, and enabling the public to adapt to the changes brought about by AI.

2. Human Autonomy: It should support human autonomy, respect fundamental human rights and cultural values ​​such as the right to personality, allow for human oversight, and implement a people-centered approach that respects the rule of law, human rights, and democratic values.

3. Privacy Protection and Data Governance: It should respect the privacy and autonomy of personal data, adopt the principle of data minimization, and avoid the risk of data leakage.

4. Security: Cybersecurity measures should be established throughout the research and application of AI to prevent security threats and attacks, ensuring the robustness and security of the system.

5. Transparency and Explainability: AI outputs should be appropriately disclosed or labeled to facilitate risk assessment and understanding of their impact on relevant rights, thereby enhancing the trustworthiness of AI.

6. Fairness: AI research and application should avoid risks such as system bias and discrimination, and should not result in discrimination against specific groups.

7. Accountability: Traceability should be maintained, and different roles in AI research and application should bear corresponding responsibilities, including internal governance responsibilities and external social responsibilities.

For those familiar with the EU AI Act, the way the principles above are framed is more direct and comprehensive than the European framework.

As I wrote a few times before, the EU missed an opportunity to be more explicit and broad when protecting fundamental rights in the context of AI development and deployment (which could help set a stronger regulatory precedent).

Another interesting provision is Article 12, focused on labor rights.

It says that, in response to the development of AI, the government must address skill gaps and ensure workers' occupational safety, health, and labor rights, including providing employment assistance to those unemployed due to AI, based on their work abilities.

To my knowledge, this is the first AI law that expressly foresees labor rights for those who lose their jobs due to AI.

Well done, Taiwan!

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👉 To learn more about recent AI governance developments, join my newsletter's 90,000+ subscribers (below).

👉 To upskill and advance your career, join the 28th cohort of my AI Governance training in March (link below).

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 knowing AI Evals.

In our next Maven lightning lesson, we share the strategies to get buy-in and educate product leadership on the importance of AI Evals

https://t.co/20iMClErzx

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

With package delivery, we care about speed and price. Is it either faster but pricier or slower but cheaper?

No. US is slow and expensive

💰 Average U.S. order fulfillment cost: $5–$15 per order (small businesses typically pay $7–$10 per order).

💰 Average China order fulfillment cost: ￥2–￥2.5 per order, approximately $0.3–$0.35.

Let’s dive in

https://t.co/qcmMwfGHcA

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

In 2012, data scientist was “the sexiest job in 21st century”
Fast forward to 2025: those jobs are at risk.

In the early 2010s, data science was the dream of many.

High salaries.
High demand.
High prestige.

Bootcamps exploded.
Colleges rushed to offer new programs.
YouTube gurus promised six-figure jobs after a few months of studying.

Yes, I was one of those early believers.

📍 I enrolled in Bootcamp to learn Python, machine learning & SQL.
📍 I landed my first job as the youngest on my team, eager to prove myself.
📍 I loved the work—solving problems, building models & making an impact.

The future looked bright! My confidence soared.

<10 years later…data science is at risk.
There are “too many” new graduates.

Companies, if hiring at all, want “junior” candidates with years of experience.
Mid-career professionals are jumping ship to AI engineering or software dev.
Even senior data scientists are building backup plans: content, consulting, anything. (Hmm sounds familiar? 🤔)

Personally, I ventured out on a different path.
….AI strategist for startups & SMEs.

The boom ended faster than my mom predicted.

After almost a decade in data science, I learn this the hard way:
→ There is no “sexiest job”.

Some careers shine when the market favors them.
Some fade when the hype dies.

The real competency lies in good judgment.

My friend Stella & I are both data scientists who’ve gone through full cycle.
But we have different reactions to the hype's downfall.

For Stella, this moment isn't the end, it’s a period of dormancy
(a pause before data science reinvents itself. Let’s see who will survive!)

“𝑊𝑒’𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠. 𝐼 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝐼 𝑒𝑟𝑎, 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠” — she shared.

Read more at https://t.co/89QtwVaIJ2

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

2025 goal? Self-disruption takes courage and a deep understanding about oneself. Thanks my friend Zac for sharing

@davidhoang

https://t.co/mSIK6DOjTU

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

For decades, importing from China meant bulk orders, low-cost goods, and razor-thin margins.

But today, first-gen Chinese immigrants are flipping the script—leveraging their factory connections, market insights, and branding strategies to build profitable e-commerce businesses.

Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturers are trying to do the same, struggling to break into direct-to-consumer sales while navigating branding, marketing, and geopolitical risks.

Are these two groups partners or competitors?

Latest on The Cocoons, we explore how this dynamic is shaping global trade, the challenges both sides face, and what it means for the future of e-commerce.

🔗 Read more:

https://t.co/NA1IqC8Zmz

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

In China, once you reach 35 years old, it’s (almost) impossible to find a new job.

As the job market worsens, that number has dropped to 30.

Yet, it’s not the only issue.

Let’s dive into deeper problems of workplace pessimism in China:

1/ Women face double discrimination

Age is not the only barrier—recruiters will ask if you’re married, have kids, or plan to have kids. This is

to guarantee your dedication to the job.

👉 Sad truth: Many women feel forced to lie or put their personal lives on hold—JUST to stay

employable.

2/ Layoffs are hitting white-collar workers hard

China’s tech industry is mirroring the U.S. with mass layoffs. The job market now favors younger

(cheaper) candidates.

👉 Sad truth: Experience doesn’t guarantee job security. Hard work and loyalty don’t either.

3/ 996 schedule doesn’t guarantee job security

Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, once said, "You should feel fortunate to be able to work 996," he

supported the idea that longer hours would bring greater success.

👉 Sad truth: Once you age out of peak productivity, companies start seeing you as a financial

burden no matter how hard you worked.

4/ 80% of people are stuck in hiring restrictions

Only a small fraction of candidates (those with elite skills or connections)—are free from the

growing age & hiring biases.

👉 Sad truth: Most people find themselves in the 80%.

5/ Youth unemployment is at alarming rate

Joblessness among young people has hit ~ 18%, with many in their 20s still living at home (with their

parents).

👉 Sad truth: Seeing older workers (in their 30s-40s) struggle, many have chosen to “lie flat”

rejecting the system entirely.

So here’s the question:

At the end of the day, who’s really in control of your career?

What is your point of view? Let’s discuss below 👇

We shared the full conversation in Cocoon’s newsletter

More deets here: https://t.co/OWgl2WI5Fr

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

👉 A newsletter by Stella &amp; me!

Get more insights about tech, business, and cultures with us here:
https://t.co/bYmJM4VEfM

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

Jan 2024, I started a podcast with a friend I’ve never met in person.

1 year and 1 month later, we’ve built a highly engaged long-form podcast brand across Mandarin communities.

To this day, Stella Wenxing Liu and I are still online friends 😂

We update weekly and interview incredible guests.

e.g. https://t.co/LcVNhZFOGs's Felix Lee (EP8); Arizona State University's Professor 'YZ' Yezhou Yang; Cake Taiwan's CEO Trantor Liu (EP46)
(to name a few)

🎙️ So far, we’ve successfully produced 50+ episodes.

We’re not just chatting about the weather. We chat about:

Tech: The latest breakthroughs and their impact.
Business: Strategies, failures & everything in between.
Culture: Exploring the nuances that connect & divide us.

We also share insights from Mandarin podcasts in our English newsletters
(welcomed by audiences in Taiwan, China, the U.S., and beyond)

This March, we're launching something new & exciting.

—More cross-border perspectives.
—More voices from across industries.
—More behind-the-scenes stories - real, unfiltered convos.

If these topics spark your curiosity, we’d love for you to join us.

Thank you to everyone who has listened, read, shared, and supported us along the way. ❤️

More deets in the comments below!

P.S. Have you listened to an episode or read our newsletter yet? If so, which one?

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

Taiwan recently made news again when Acquired interviewed the legendary 93-year-old Morris Chang (founded TSMC when he was 56 years old).

I am proud of my home and it never ceases to surprise the world. But, I always wondered why our internet companies hardly ever made it to the global stage?

We sat down with IC Jan, a veteran venture capitalist (founder of Taiwan Global Angels), to unpack why Taiwan’s tech ecosystem evolved so differently from Silicon Valley’s.

❓

1️⃣ If Taiwan’s manufacturing firms are so global, why do its internet startups struggle to expand beyond the island?

2️⃣ Can a VC ecosystem wired for manufacturing-era economics ever truly support high-risk, high-reward internet startups?

3️⃣ With the world’s startup hubs growing, will Silicon Valley still produce the next big breakthrough? Should Taiwanese startups pack up and move to Silicon Valley?

https://t.co/mtjclHBmWz

[Naval @naval]

Nobody who’s actually good at making money needs to sell you a course on it.

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

I miss the old internet.

Comments were free and silly.
People wrote to connect and communicate, not for profit.

Since when did we lose access to the open forum?Was it when the Great Chinese Firewall became impenetrable?
Or when our feeds became biased, filled with hyper-polarized posts driven by algos?

Or was it when I grew up, and business connections began to trump authentic cultural exchange?

Read the latest on The Cocoons to see what's possible when the walls fall

https://t.co/sW8YzvVOWK

[Seasalt.ai @SeasaltAI]

Do you collect phone numbers on your website?

Get compliant with the new FCC One-to-One Rule before Jan 27, 2025.

Each text or call violation can cost you $500

Free webinar next Tuesday (Jan 21, 11AM PST) . Please RSVP on luma.

https://t.co/4BbcdLiPpv

[Sparrow AI @SparrowClaims]

PillPack TCPA Class Action Settlement
PillPack is set to pay $6.5 million to resolve claims it violated the federal Telephone Customer Protection act with unsolicited telemarketing calls.
Claim Deadline: January 20, 20245
Payout: Up to $1500

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

Seeing a lot of confused English users on Xiaohongshu now. They call themselves TikTok refugees.

This is interesting.

It’s time to test how fast Xiaohongshu can adapt their UX and algo for the new users

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

A decade of data science party.
Did you make it?
Can you still make it?

https://t.co/ZcPvR2X0c0

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

🚨 Big Changes on lead generation. Probably apply to everyone, including you..

Are you ready for the 2025 TCPA rule changes? FCC's new one-to-one rule requires actions for any business that needs leads (who doesn't?..)

If you’re relying on internet leads, telemarketing, or automated calls, these updates could significantly impact how you acquire clients—and even how you protect your business.

📞 TCPA fines can cost $500 per call or text if non-compliant. That’s $1M for just 2,000 daily calls!
⚖️ You can be held personally liable even if you operate under a corporation.
🤖 Automated systems like AI-generated calls and voicemail drops will require explicit consent starting in January 27 2025.

Stay compliant by auditing your tech stack. Or talk to us at https://t.co/8GJjCcgFpm

Automations are fantastic for efficiency, but poorly managed systems can land you in legal hot water. $500/call or text.

What are you doing to prepare?

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

LA in December

[Amy Chen @amy17519]

Fun sales call series with Amy

“I can help you improve lead gen and get more customers”
“I am 66. I have a lot of customers. I do not want more customers.”

🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️