Episode summary
Moonshot Plans IPO in Six Months After China AI Breakthrough | Bloomberg Intelligence
Bloomberg Intelligence
· · 21 min · Hosts: Paul Sweeney, Scarlet Fu · Guests: Bailey Lipschultz, Seema Shah, Surabhi Gupta, Lindsay Dutch
Summary
Bloomberg Intelligence focused first on a wave of AI-related listings, with the host and a guest discussing Moonshot AI’s plan to pursue a Hong Kong IPO in as little as six months after its Kimi K3 model drew global attention. The guest said Moonshot is also working on a $30 billion valuation funding round, while broader market interest is being fueled by private equity firms that need visible exits. The same discussion turned to DeepSeek, which the guest said has seen downloads cool after its 2025 breakout, even as low-cost AI remains a competitive threat.
The episode then shifted to software, where a guest from Klaviyo argued that AI is improving both how the company builds products and how its customers market to consumers. The guest said Klaviyo now uses AI across its B2C CRM platform, including new tools like Composer and Customer Agent, and that the technology is speeding up product development while helping brands personalize campaigns.
The final segment covered consumer demand in beauty. An analyst said the overall U.S. market is soft, but Gen Z is standing out with stronger routine usage, more willingness to try products, and a growing appetite for fragrance. The analyst said younger shoppers still like buying beauty in store, but social media is increasingly driving discovery and purchase intent.
Key takeaways
- The guest said Moonshot AI is aiming for a Hong Kong IPO in the next six months and is seeking a $30 billion valuation.
- The host and guest framed Moonshot and DeepSeek as examples of Chinese AI companies forcing the market to reassess China’s technology capabilities.
- The guest from Klaviyo said AI is raising engineering velocity and powering new customer tools like Composer and Customer Agent.
- The guest said DeepSeek’s downloads have fallen sharply this year even after a major 2025 breakout, with only 34 million year-to-date and 2 million in the U.S.
- The analyst said U.S. beauty demand is near two-year lows overall, but Gen Z demand is improving and helping support fragrance growth.
Notable quotes
“Bloomberg is reporting they are now eyeing a Hong Kong IPO in the next six months”
“AI is not only helping with what we build but also how we build it”
How the episode opens
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Lots of uh IPOs. That's certainly been uh the score for much of 2026. And we saw the big investment banks reported earnings last week and they were touting how much uh their the deals they're getting done and how good their pipeline looks.
And we got a more still coming here that's keeping our next guest very busy. Belly Lip Schultz, senior equities reporter for Bloomberg News. Moonshot AI.
Oh boy. I'm afraid to ask, what is this thing and when is it coming?
You haven't heard of Moonshot AI? — No, I have not. — You are not? What? Really? — Really? Oh my gosh. I mean, they moved markets on Friday. They're the reason that Friday beach. — Oh, you look like you got some sun. Okay. Moonshot. Moonshot runs uh the Kimmy model. Kimmy K3 was the latest kind of model.
Kimmy K3 is a AI. — Do I have to put that on my phone now next to Claude? And — Well, they're a Chinese company and they're open source. So,
I think I know your answer there. Uh but so this is a company that really burst onto the scene while you were on a beach enjoying the the nice weather. um that really kind of caught took the world by storm I guess you could say and very quickly Bloomberg is reporting they are now eyeing a Hong Kong IPO in the next six months.
So that would be a quick turnaround. Company is according to our reporting working to close a 30 uh funding round at $30 billion valuation.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- ai ipo
- chinese ai breakthroughs
- generative ai for crm
- beauty demand trends
- sensor tower research
Companies and tickers mentioned
- KVYO
- ULTA
- Moonshot AI
- DeepSeek
- Klaviyo
- Sensor Tower
- Ulta Beauty
- Sephora
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Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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