Young Chinese Launch AI-Powered One-Person Companies Amid Job Anxiety

Young Chinese entrepreneurs, many fearing age discrimination after turning 35, are increasingly launching “one-person companies” powered by artificial intelligence, according to a report by AFP. Chinese cities are backing the trend with millions of dollars in funding and rent subsidies, aligning with Beijing’s goal of “technological self-reliance.”

AI as Business Enabler

The rise of one-person ventures reflects rapid advances in AI tools that handle most business operations. “The one-person company is a product of the AI era,” said Karen Dai, founder of Shanghai-based SoloNest, which hosts weekend meetups for solo entrepreneurs. “In the past, it was very difficult to run a business on your own, but the range of tasks that AI can help with has ‘lowered the entry barrier’,” Dai told AFP.

On a recent Sunday in Shanghai, approximately 20 people in their 20s and 30s attended one of SoloNest’s three-hour ideas-swap sessions, which had reached its 134th iteration.

Entrepreneur Examples

Wang Tianyi, 26, exemplifies the trend. After quitting his product manager job at an internet company in 2025, he began creating AI-generated commercials for businesses, earning up to 40,000 yuan (approximately S$7,500) per month. “Because of the technological empowerment brought on by AI, (one-person companies) have an efficiency advantage,” Wang told AFP, predicting that solo operators will become a “major trend.”

Shanghai resident Wei Xin, 34, anticipated that her job as a document reviewer at a foreign consulting firm would be replaced by AI. She enrolled in a course on Google’s Gemini, experimented with creating an AI-generated digital version of herself, and transitioned to social media content creation. “There’s a bit of AI anxiety,” Wei said, who returned to China last year after completing a degree in the United States. “If I don’t use it, don’t approach it, I might soon be eliminated.”

The ‘Curse of 35’

Age discrimination in China’s tech, government, and other competitive sectors has long been a concern, with Chinese social media users discussing the so-called “curse of 35.” “At 35 years old, there’s like this invisible line,” said Dai, who is 38. “People might face some challenges in the workplace. The company might re-evaluate who is more fit to stay.”

Young people who witnessed a decade of rapid economic expansion in China are motivated to prepare early. “When you’re 30 or even younger, you’ll ask yourself: when I reach that invisible line of 35, what preparations should I make?” Dai explained.

Government Support and Policy

Chinese municipalities are rolling out policies to support AI-powered one-person companies, using the acronym “OPC” in official documentation—a rare use of English in Chinese policy.

In November, the eastern city of Suzhou announced plans to cultivate “more than 10,000 OPC talents” by 2028 and allocated approximately 700 million yuan toward sectors including AI robotics, healthcare, and smart transportation. Southwestern Chengdu also announced subsidies of up to 20,000 yuan for graduates establishing AI-driven one-person firms.

According to Kyle Chan, a Brookings fellow and expert on China’s technology development, these measures are “carrots to help these startups get off the ground and be successful.” Supporting OPCs represents a cost-effective approach to addressing high youth unemployment in China, where one in six people between ages 16 and 24 are jobless. “The cost of doing this, from the local governments, for an OPC, is very low,” Chan said.

Challenges Ahead

While many young people are opting for independent projects rather than competing for corporate positions, profitability remains a challenge. “The important thing in the future will be how to sell it,” Wang noted, observing that new companies often struggle to turn a profit.

Young Chinese are preparing contingency plans while “asking themselves, ‘can I, with my own two hands, helped by the convenience of AI, explore the things I say I want to do?’” according to Dai. “There is a sense of control, of creativity.”

Source: AFP