MiniMax Group Inc. is a Chinese company that works with artificial intelligence (AI). It is based in Shanghai. The company makes AI models that can understand and create text, images, music, and videos. It also makes apps like Talkie and Xingye, where users can chat with virtual characters.[1] In January 2026, the company joined the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as a public company.[2]
 | |
| Industry | Artificial intelligence |
|---|---|
| Founded | December 2021 |
| Founders | Yan Junjie, Yang Bin, Zhou Yucong |
| Headquarters | Shanghai, China |
Key people | Yan Junjie (CEO) |
| Products | Talkie, Hailuo AI, MiniMax M2.7 |
| Website | www |
History
changeMiniMax was started in December 2021. The founders were researchers from a company called SenseTime. Early money for the company came from the video game maker MiHoYo.[3] In 2024, Alibaba Group led a large investment that made the company worth $2.5 billion. Other big companies like Tencent and IDG Capital also invested in MiniMax.[4]
The company became a public company on January 9, 2026, when it started selling shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.[5]
Products
changeTalkie and Xing Ye
changeThe company's first app was called Glow, which started in 2022. It allowed people to chat with AI characters. Glow was later replaced by two other apps: Talkie (for people outside of China) and Xing Ye (for people in China).[6]
By 2024, Talkie was one of the most popular entertainment apps in the United States. It lets users talk to AI versions of famous people like Taylor Swift and Elon Musk.[7]
Hailuo AI
changeAI Models
changeMiniMax creates "large language models" (LLMs) which are the brains behind their AI products. These include the MiniMax-01 and M2.7 models. They also made Speech-02, which can turn text into spoken words in more than 30 languages.[9]
References
change- ↑ "MiniMax：中国AI伴侣巨头，全球市场的新势力". finance.sina.com.cn. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ↑ Chuang, Aileen (2026-01-09). "Chinese AI start-up MiniMax shines on Hong Kong IPO debut". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
- 1 2 Shen, Xinmei (2 September 2024). "Chinese AI 'tiger' MiniMax launches text-to-video-generating model to rival OpenAI's Sora". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ↑ Zhang, Jane (5 March 2024). "Alibaba Backs $2.5 Billion AI Firm in Second Big 2024 Deal". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ↑ "MiniMax Founder Was Once Dismissed as a Fraud by Big Tech: Q&A". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
- ↑ Dotson, Kyt (5 March 2024). "Report: Chinese AI startup MiniMax raises $600M at $2.5B valuation led by Alibaba". SiliconANGLE. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ↑ Huang, Raffaele (27 July 2024). "One of America's Hottest Entertainment Apps Is Chinese-Owned". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ↑ Zheng, Xutong (22 January 2025). "Chinese AI Firms Debut New LLMs to Rival OpenAI's Powerful O1 in Math and Coding". Yicai Global. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
- ↑ "MiniMax Audio Launches Speech-02 Voice Model". AIBase.com. 2025-04-02. Retrieved 2025-04-02.