MiniMax Ownership of Talkie Lab App | Generated by AI

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Question: Is “Talkie Lab - AI Playground” from MiniMax (a Chinese company), and does it show “Subsup” as the developer in the App Store?

Answer:

Yes, both of your observations are correct. Here is a detailed breakdown:

1. Talkie Lab - AI Playground is Made by MiniMax

Talkie is a popular AI companion app developed by Shanghai start-up MiniMax. MiniMax was founded in 2021 in Shanghai. The app originally launched as “Glow” in China around 2022, was rebranded as “Xingye” domestically, and relaunched globally as “Talkie” for English-speaking international markets.

MiniMax is an Alibaba- and Tencent-backed startup that has raised around $850 million in venture capital and is valued at more than $2.5 billion.

2. “Subsup” (or “Subs Up Ltd”) is the Listed Developer in the App Store

Talkie lists Singapore-registered company Subsup as its developer in the App Store. Similarly, MiniMax’s other international product, Hailuo AI, shows Singapore-registered company Nanonoble as its operator. Amid an intensifying US-China tech war, many mainland-originated companies have sought to mask their Chinese origin due to geopolitical risks.

The app has come under criticism with the developer listed as Subs Up Ltd, and concerns were raised about the app’s lack of responsibility and accountability regarding content moderation.

3. Why the Shell Company Structure?

While the app appears to be owned by a Singapore firm, its ultimate parent company is Shanghai-based MiniMax — one of China’s tech unicorns, often referred to as one of the “Four Little AI Dragons.” Many users are unaware of this Chinese ownership.

This is a common strategy: many mainland-originated Chinese companies have sought to mask their origin over concerns of geopolitical risks, especially amid growing US regulatory scrutiny of Chinese-owned apps similar to what happened with TikTok.

4. App Store Status

On December 17th, 2024, Talkie was unexpectedly pulled from the US iOS App Store. Developed by MiniMax, Talkie had rapidly gained traction, amassing 3.8 million downloads in the US alone and securing the fourth position among top AI chat apps.

The newer version, Talkie Lab - AI Playground, is currently available on the App Store and features AI models like MiniMax Text-01 and DeepSeek-V3, offering multimodal AI experiences including audio synthesis, image creation, and interactive storytelling.

Summary: Yes — Talkie Lab is made by the Chinese company MiniMax, but it intentionally lists the Singapore-registered shell company Subsup (Subs Up Ltd) as the developer on the App Store, a deliberate strategy to obscure its Chinese origins.

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