Moonshot AI's CEO turned down Apple and built Chinese rival to Anthropic

Artificial intelligenceYang's journey reflects brain drain that threatens US tech competitivenessYang Zhilin, who received his doctorate in the U.S., returned to China to cofound Kimi developer Moonshot AI. (Source photos by Reuters)RYOTARO YAMADAAugust 11, 2026 23:52 JSTPALO ALTO, California -- Chinese startup Moonshot AI's CEO, Yang Zhilin, could have worked at any top tech companies in the U.S. after receiving a PhD from a leading American university. Instead he returned to China to found a company that eventually grew to rival Open AI and Anthropic.