In the first episode of SCMP’s revamped Inside China Tech podcast, technology reporter Zen Soo and tech editor Chua Kong Ho delve into what makes Silicon Valley the global hub of innovation and whether China can ever catch up.

Why hasn’t China produced a Steve Jobs or an Elon Musk? Do you need political freedom to be creative? How important is individualism when it comes to producing great entrepreneurs and tech visionaries? And will the current technology war with the US help accelerate China’s technological capabilities?

To find out, Zen and Kong Ho speak to a variety of experts, including Stanford University’s Steve Blank, author of The Lean Startup Eric Ries, as well as Yu Zhou of Vassar College and Andy Mok, a research fellow from the Centre for China and Globalisation.