Radar - by nexxworks: Agentic AI, China's Super Apps & The End of Average

This month on Radar, we didn’t chase headlines, we unpacked what’s behind them. From AI in Boston to fast food in China, here’s what surprised us, challenged us, and made us think twice.

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Peter just came back from Boston, Pascal’s preparing for a deep-dive China tour, and Steven’s fresh off stage with marketing legend Seth Godin. What unfolds is a conversation that bounces between AI, fast food, storytelling, global power plays, and the tension between innovation and... yogurt. Yes, yogurt.

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“AI isn’t a tech challenge. It’s a leadership one.”

That line came from David De Cremer during Peter’s Boston trip, and it framed the whole episode.

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We’ve heard a lot about AI being disruptive, but this discussion made it clear that the real challenge is knowing what to do with AI once it’s in your hands.

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Steven points out that many companies are still treating AI like a digital upgrade—something the IT team plugs in. But that’s not how this works.

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Without real vision and ownership, AI just becomes a shiny toy. Pascal adds that in China, AI isn’t seen as a buzzword anymore, it’s woven into business models and daily life, often in ways that are much more practical (and less hyped) than what we see in the West.

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Mi Xue: The fast-food empire with a snowman and a 25-second jingle

Here’s the kind of story only Pascal can pull out of nowhere.

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Mi Xue is a Chinese tea and ice cream chain that now has more outlets than McDonald’s. You probably haven’t heard of it. But your kid might love their theme song—which loops on repeat all day in every store.

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It’s not glamorous. Their products aren’t groundbreaking. And that’s kind of the point. Mi Xue built a wildly successful empire on operational simplicity and insane distribution, not brand hype. Their secret? Total supply chain control, ultra-low-cost franchising, and a snowman mascot that lives rent-free in millions of minds.

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Peter compares it to BYD, which is also vertically integrated and now beating Tesla at its own game.

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There’s a pattern here: you don’t always need to be loud or flashy. Sometimes, you just need to be everywhere—and make the economics work in your favor.

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Microsoft + OpenAI = It’s Complicated

Peter also drops a few insights on the increasingly tense relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI.

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From billion-dollar investments to side-eye partnerships (yes, Elon Musk might be entering the chat), it’s becoming clear that this alliance isn’t as rock solid as it once seemed.

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And why does that matter? Because Microsoft has put OpenAI’s tech (hello, Copilot) everywhere—from Outlook to Teams to Azure.

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If they split or drift apart, the ripple effects could hit way beyond the tech world. This part of the episode feels less like tech gossip and more like a heads-up: don’t get too comfortable depending on any one provider.

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Seth Godin’s reminder: “Don’t make average stuff for average people.”

This bit might hit home for anyone working in marketing—or product, or leadership in general.

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Steven recaps Seth’s keynote from UBA Trends Day, where he laid down the gauntlet: too many companies are still playing it safe. Chasing everyone.

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Making stuff for “everyone” that ends up resonating with... no one.

“The goal isn’t to fill your funnel,” Seth said. “It’s to hand your best customers a megaphone.”

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It’s a good reminder that differentiation doesn’t start with your campaign—it starts with your offer. Your story. Your smallest viable audience. And your willingness to build something that actually stands out.

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AI Agents, China’s Ecosystem, and the Stuff That’s Coming Fast

The conversation closes with some real-time observations on how quickly things are changing—especially in China.

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Pascal mentions the Manus platform (currently invite-only due to compute limitations), where AI agents go beyond generating answers—they make decisions, handle tasks, and think in longer cycles. It’s not just ChatGPT with legs. It’s something new.

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Peter talks about this “agentic” future as the real leap: AI tools that act like swarms of micro-assistants, cutting across silos and unlocking data trapped inside broken systems. It’s exciting. It’s a bit scary. And it’s closer than most companies are ready for.

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Catch the full episode

Got thoughts, hot takes, or even a favorite moment? Drop a comment—we’re all ears (and we love a good debate)!

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