By 3 min readApril 22, 2026 – 1:27PMAFP
Publication Date: 2026-04-22 03:27:00
Young Chinese, many of whom fear age discrimination in the workplace after turning 35, are increasingly starting “one-person companies” in which artificial intelligence does most of the work.
Smaller startups are already trending in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, with rapidly evolving AI tools seen as welcome teammates even as they threaten layoffs at existing companies.
More and more young people in China are joining the model as cities pledge millions of dollars in funding and rental subsidies to such ventures, in line with Beijing’s policy goal of “technological self-reliance.”
“The one-person business is a product of the AI era,” said Karen Dai, founder of Shanghai-based SoloNest, which hosts weekend events for solo entrepreneurs.
It used to be very difficult to run a business alone, she said, but the range of tasks that AI can help with has “lowered the barrier to entry.”
On a Sunday in Shanghai, around 20 people in their 20s and 30s crowded into a Dais conference room…
