Yang Zhilin's Background for Returning to China
ctjlewis · x · 2026-07-19
The quoted content emphasizes that Yang Zhilin did not return to China due to visa issues, but rather proactively turned down opportunities at US tech companies to start his own business. A Tsinghua undergraduate, he pursued a computer science PhD at Carnegie Mellon University and became a highly sought-after AI talent upon graduation.
His advisor noted that he had numerous opportunities to stay in the US; even an Apple executive reporting directly to Tim Cook asked if he would join, with Apple offering a position in their Beijing office. Despite this, he chose to return to China to build a startup, believing he would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't.
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