Maria Li: Tech in Asia Acquisition by Singapore Press Holdings & Startup Winter to AI Spring - E571

"If you just had some sort of automated process where all press releases went into ChatGPT and then ChatGPT was crunching the information and spinning it back out, I think the quality of information will eventually degrade, right? It would be a really good — it could create a really good Wikipedia, objective, put-together information, but I think the insights wouldn't be there necessarily. So I think there's still a role for newsrooms to play in the AI world. But whether or not there's a need, I think you would have to be ultimately really niche, like hyper-localized, which I think you're starting to see in some of the US. In the US, there's some really hyper-local state content, deeply insights-driven, tapping into experts' expertise that AI otherwise wouldn't have. And then again, maybe like scoops driven. I don't know. It's my working." - Maria Li, Chief Operating Officer at Tech in Asia

"You know, I think technology is agnostic, right? It's really how you use technology. And I've been getting more into the climate tech space specifically, and I think it's super interesting because, like, on the one hand, technology is one of the things that have gotten us into the climate crisis I think we're now in. And then honestly, AI and the use of data centers and the water and the power usage and energy usage is not great. But at the same time, it's like, okay, then the way we kind of innovate our way out of this is also through technology. And so, you know, technology is what it is. It's just a tool. It's really all about how you use it, how you want to apply it in your life. And it's all about you making sure that you're using the tool as opposed to technology using you. And I think that's probably where, if you think about Facebook's growth model, which was like utilizing the user data without them even really knowing and then being able to build their marketing machines off of that." - Maria Li, Chief Operating Officer at Tech in Asia

"The reality is that when you're in the negotiation process for the acquisition, everything is rosy, right? You're both like, wow, look at this amazing market opportunity. If we only join forces, we can go capture that. And then the worst case scenario — you've heard about the acquisitions that have gone wrong, like the teams don't get along together. And then within 3 to 5 years or whatever, there's a management buyout or they shut down, right? I think probably the reality is always going to be somewhere in between. And so being able to level set your expectations in terms of like — and you need to be able to think, okay — and to run all the permutations before you sign the SPA, right? It's like, okay, what do I want out of this for my company, best and worst case scenario? What do I want out of this for myself, best and worst case scenario? You know, and just really kind of play out all the possible ways that it could end up. And I think as long as you go into that with that sort of mental framework, you'll be able to handle things a lot better, right?" - Maria Li, Chief Operating Officer at Tech in Asia

Jeremy Au reconnects with Maria Li to explore how Tech in Asia is navigating Southeast Asia’s startup winter, generative AI disruption, and corporate acquisition pressures while maintaining community-first values. Together, they discuss AI experimentation, acquisition integration, leadership dynamics, and balancing the demands of modern media and parenthood. The discussion highlights lessons in adapting to rapid change, staying transparent, and making intentional choices in business and life.