China's Decades-Old 'Genius Class' Pipeline Is Quietly Fueling Its AI Challenge To the US

China's decades-old network of elite high-school "genius classes" - ultra-competitive talent streams that pull an estimated 100,000 gifted teenagers out of regular schooling every year and run them through college-level science curricula - has produced the core technical talent now building the country's leading AI and technology companies, the Financial Times reported Saturday. Graduates of these programs include the founder of ByteDance, the leaders of e-commerce giants Taobao ...