Alvin Foo

Huawei Built a European Palace for 35,000 Researchers, Then Spent $28 Billion on R&D in a Single Year I walked into what looked like a European palace. Marble floors. Crystal chandeliers. Gilded railings. Classical statues. Vaulted ceilings that belong in a ministry building in Vienna or Paris. Then the giant screen lit up with the Huawei logo. This is not a government building.
This is Huawei’s Shanghai research campus. A self-contained research city with lakes, landscaped grounds, modern laboratory blocks, elevated walkways, and its own internal light-rail system. Designed for 35,000 researchers. Current density is already extreme: roughly 80% hold a master’s degree or higher. About 10% are PhDs. Throw a stone and you hit advanced technical talent. In 2025, Huawei generated CNY 880.9 billion in revenue. 
It spent CNY 192.3 billion on R&D, 21.8% of total revenue, roughly US$27.9 billion. That single-year R&D outlay exceeds the entire GDP of multiple countries with larger populations. 
Total employees: ~213,000.
R&D headcount: 114,000 (53.7% of the workforce). Most companies and most nations still treat research as a residual. Huawei treats it as the core operating expense. The result is not just beautiful architecture. It is sustained technological capacity under pressure. This is the case study that matters. Resource allocation at this intensity, sustained for more than a decade, produces outcomes that incremental budgets and short-term political cycles cannot match. Have you visited a corporate campus that genuinely changed how you think about what’s possible? Video produced and edited by Arianne, my beloved daughter 😍

The 3 Rules of Friendship according Mel Ribbons

Immigration is no longer just a demographic story, it’s an economic strategy. Look at the numbers. The US leads with approximately 53 million immigrants, followed by Germany, Saudi Arabia and the UK. Countries aren’t just competing for capital, technology and investment, they’re also competing for people. Talent, labour, entrepreneurship and skills are becoming increasingly important economic assets. As populations age and labour shortages intensify, countries that can attract, integrate and retain global talent will have a significant competitive advantage. The real question isn’t whether countries should embrace immigration, it’s whether they have the policies, infrastructure and economic opportunities to turn migration into a long-term growth engine. In the economy of the future, talent has no borders and countries that understand this will have an advantage.

"Please, don't worry so much. Because in the end, none of us have very long on this Earth. Life is fleeting. And if you're ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer sky when the stars are strung across the velvety night. And when a shooting star streaks through the blackness, turning night into day... make a wish and think of me. Make your life spectacular.” - Robin Williams (as Jack in the movie 'Jack')

One of the simplest lessons in life, yet one of the most powerful. We spend so much time chasing success, recognition and influence that we sometimes forget the impact we can have on someone simply by being kind. Walk beside someone who is struggling. Include someone who feels left out. Recognise someone who feels invisible. You don’t always need to do something extraordinary to change someone’s life. Sometimes, a little kindness at the right moment is enough. Success is what you achieve. Character is how you make others feel along the way. Never underestimate the power of making someone feel seen, valued and included.

Learn how to speak to Gen Alpha 😁 Initially it sounds Greek to me but thankfully my daughter who is a Gen Z gave me a quick run down: 1. SIGMA: The most common word you will hear is sigma. Unlike the Greek alphabet, Sigma here means dominant, leader cool and popular. Example: Jane is so sigma... she gets invited to all the best parties. 2. ATE: Used to describe something impressive or outstanding. Example: That presentation you just gave on financial projections totally ate! 3. FANUM TAX: Refers to the act of taking a bite of someone else’s food, popularized by streamer Fanum during streams on Twitch. Example: My friend took a big Fanum Tax out of my pizza! 4. BUSSIN: Used to describe food that is exceptionally delicious. Example: The cookies grandma made are bussin'. 5. DELULU: Someone who is delusional or has unrealistic expectations. Example: He thinks he’s going to win this year, but he’s totally delulu. 6. IT'S GIVING: Exuding a certain energy. Example: Everyone’s dressed so nicely tonight. It’s giving Met Gala. 7. RIZZ: Charisma, charm or magnetism that captivates others Example: He has so much rizz, no wonder everyone wants to hang out with him. 8. SKIBIDI TOILET: Originating from a Bulgarian song called "Dom Dom Yes Yes," it was popularized by the YouTube series "Skibidi toilet" that involves a war between human-head toilets and humans with devices for faces. It can mean bad or good depending on the context. Example: She's got that skibidi toilet rizz. 9. AURA: Aura is about how cool you are. These points can be gained or lost through simple tasks, like tripping or falling. Example: He's gonna lose aura points with me if he doesn't reply soon. 10. OHIO: Ohio typically means weird or cringe. Example: Did you see how she was dressed today? She's so Ohio.

Machines create efficiency, extraordinary people create impact. This quote by Elbert Hubbard feels particularly relevant today, especially in the age of AI. One machine can replace the work of 50 people. Today, AI can potentially multiply that number. But here’s the real distinction: technology can automate tasks, accelerate execution and improve productivity. What it cannot easily replicate is extraordinary human judgement, vision, creativity, courage and the ability to inspire others. The future won’t belong to those who compete with machines. It will belong to those who know how to make machines work for them while bringing something uniquely human to the table. AI amplifies capability, extraordinary people create the difference. That’s the real competitive advantage.

This is how we can possibly fly for free 😁

The problem with measuring an economy by what people spend. There’s a funny truth behind this image, but also a serious economic lesson. A cyclist doesn’t buy petrol, car insurance, pay for parking or take out a car loan. Someone who walks doesn’t even buy a bicycle! But here’s what the joke misses: GDP measures economic activity, not the quality of life. A country shouldn’t need people to be sick, unhealthy, in debt or stuck in traffic just to keep its economy growing. Perhaps we should rethink what progress really means. Less consumption isn’t necessarily bad. Prevention is better than cure. Time saved is productivity. Good health is wealth. The ultimate measure of a successful economy shouldn’t be how much money people spend, but how well people live. Maybe the cyclist is actually winning. 🚴

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s best career advice: “Passion isn’t enough, you’ve got to endure.”