Zhang Yiming reportedly told ByteDance to build AGI without distillation, admitting it won't catch OpenAI until 2029-30
kevinsxu · x · 2026-11-12
According to Kevin Xu, Zhang Yiming told the ByteDance team not to rely on distillation but to build AGI "the right way." Yet he also acknowledged that ByteDance likely won't catch up to OpenAI or Anthropic until 2029 or 2030 — not the 6-9 month gap often cited, but 3-4 years.
Xu notes that ByteDance is one of the best-funded and most capable AI shops in China; even they concede such a gap, suggesting "America has won the AI race" and that SF/DC circles should stop stoking constant frenzy.
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