While international markets have more volatility and lower trust, their biggest advantage is inefficiency. Many basic services are underdeveloped, creating enormous 'low-hanging fruit' opportunities. Providing a great, reliable service in a market where few things work well can create immense and durable value.

The success of high-end restaurant chains like Carbone in diverse markets (Vegas, Riyadh) demonstrates a growing global connoisseur culture. This allows startups with a perfected product to expand internationally with only minor local adaptations, treating their brand as a form of intellectual property.

Instead of building a consumer brand from scratch, a technologically innovative but unknown company can license its core tech to an established player. This go-to-market strategy leverages the partner's brand equity and distribution to reach customers faster and validate the technology without massive marketing spend.

China offers a hyper-concentrated manufacturing ecosystem where suppliers are neighbors, supported by world-class infrastructure. This dramatically speeds up prototyping and production, turning complex international logistics into a simple "walk down the street."

Apple's deep reliance on China is not just about cost but a 25-year investment in a manufacturing ecosystem that can produce complex products at immense scale and quality. Replicating this unique combination in India or elsewhere is considered fanciful.

Beyond the US-China rivalry, a new front is opening between Brussels and Beijing. Incidents like the French suspension of fashion retailer Shein are not isolated but symptomatic of growing European mistrust and a willingness to take action. This signals a potential fracturing of global trade blocs and increased regulatory risk for Chinese firms in the EU.

Facing hyper-competitive local rivals, Starbucks is selling a majority stake in its China business. This is not a retreat, but a strategic shift to a joint venture model. It's a playbook for Western brands to gain local agility, faster product rollouts, and deeper digital integration where Western brand dominance is fading.

The exceptionally low cost of developing and operating AI models in China is forcing a reckoning in the US tech sector. American investors and companies are now questioning the high valuations and expensive operating costs of their domestic AI, creating fear that the US AI boom is a bubble inflated by high costs rather than superior technology.

Starbucks' delivery revenue hit $1B, driven by larger order sizes. With a 40% food "attachment rate," customers add items like egg wraps to their coffee order to justify the delivery fee, a behavior akin to filling a shopping cart on fast-fashion sites to unlock free shipping.