MiniMax co-founder Yeyi Yun sets milestone for AI at 1% of global economy

Yeyi Yun, co-founder and president of Shanghai-based AI startup MiniMax, said at the Goldman Sachs Asia Leadership Conference in Hong Kong on September 1 that artificial general intelligence will be achieved when AI can autonomously generate 1% of global GDP, roughly $1.1 trillion. MiniMax reported first-half 2026 revenues of approximately $117 million, a 283% year-over-year increase, and aims for $1 billion in annual recurring revenue by the end of 2026.

Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels MiniMax co-founder Yeyi Yun sets milestone for AI at 1% of global economy The Shanghai-based AI startup's president laid out her benchmark for artificial general intelligence at a Goldman Sachs conference in Hong Kong Most definitions of artificial general intelligence involve philosophy, neuroscience, or some combination of both. Yeyi Yun, co-founder and president of Chinese AI startup MiniMax, prefers economics. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Asia Leadership Conference in Hong Kong on September 1, Yun said the real milestone for AGI will arrive when AI can autonomously generate 1% of global GDP. That’s a concrete, measurable target in a field that loves to argue about abstractions. A dollar-denominated definition of AGI Global GDP currently hovers around $110 trillion, depending on who’s counting. One percent of that is roughly $1.1 trillion, or about the entire annual output of Mexico. Yun pointed to autonomous capabilities, specifically planning, execution, and self-assessment, as early indicators that the industry is heading in that direction. MiniMax’s numbers tell their own story The company reported first-half 2026 revenues of approximately $117 million, a 283% year-over-year increase. Open platform services alone contributed $74 million of that total, up a staggering 703% from the prior year period. MiniMax listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in January 2026 under ticker 0100, raising about $619 million in its IPO. Shares surged 109% on debut day. Yun set another ambitious target during her Goldman Sachs appearance: $1 billion in annual recurring revenue by the end of 2026. By the end of 2025, MiniMax had accumulated over 236 million users across more than 200 countries. The user base spans the company’s multimodal AI models, which can process text, vision, and audio. Strategy: intelligence over scale Yun emphasized that MiniMax is focused on enhancing model intelligence rather than raw expansion. MiniMax has also leaned into open-weight model releases, making some of its technology available for developers and researchers to build on. Founded in December 2021, MiniMax has moved from startup to publicly traded company in under five years. Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/ .