Meitu CEO: AI Product Development is an Unpredictable Game
Meitu CEO Wu Xinhong discussed the company's strategic approach to artificial intelligence product development, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of the AI landscape. Despite the challenges, Meitu has seen significant growth, with overseas monthly active users (MAU) surpassing 100 million again, driven by AI tools like Wink and RoboNeo, which have topped app download charts in various regions. In 2025, Meitu's revenue reached 3.858 billion yuan, with a net profit of 965 million yuan, a 64.7% increase year-over-year. AI-driven imaging and design products now form the core of the company's revenue, contributing 76.6% of the total income, a substantial rise from 35% a year prior.
To navigate the AI era, Meitu has implemented organizational reforms, including establishing small AI innovation studios with up to 10 million yuan in funding for internal product incubation. The company has also built integrated product and growth platforms to expedite development and validation cycles. Meitu enforces strict product assessment mechanisms, aiming for product launch to market validation within one month, with a target of $100,000 in ARR within six months of launch. Notably, older products like Meitu Xiuxiu are prohibited from directly diverting traffic to new products, fostering natural user growth and testing product viability. New products like Picchi and MeituHub have emerged from this 'natural growth' strategy, while others, such as MVLAND and Artflo, stem from Wu Xinhong's personal interests and bets on niche markets, reflecting a philosophy that successful products often begin in less competitive spaces.
Meitu's strategy highlights a critical tension in the AI era: the imperative for rapid iteration versus the inherent unpredictability of technological advancement and market adoption. The company's organizational structure, designed to foster internal innovation and accelerate product cycles, reflects an understanding that agility is paramount. By deliberately limiting cross-promotion from established products, Meitu aims to cultivate genuine product-market fit, a more sustainable growth model than reliance on inherited user bases. This approach, while potentially slower in initial user acquisition, could lead to more resilient products less susceptible to the whims of algorithmic changes or platform policy shifts. The CEO's personal investment in niche, passion-driven products also suggests a long-term vision that balances commercial objectives with creative exploration, potentially uncovering future market opportunities overlooked by purely data-driven strategies. The challenge will be maintaining this balance as AI capabilities evolve and competitive pressures intensify.
AI-generated to prompt reflection — not editorial opinion, not advice, not a statement of fact. How this works.