New York, London, Hong Kong, Chicago.
Professor Angela Zhang lived, studied or worked in these cities before joining USC Gould School of Law last year.
Thanks to her move to California, she’s learned a new skill: Driving.
“I came for the people,” Zhang says of USC Gould. “It has a faculty that’s both intellectually sharp and genuinely kind — a rare combination.”
Now skilled at navigating a car in one of the world’s most challenging places to drive, Zhang continues her fast-lane role as one of the most sought-after commentators on Chinese regulatory issues.
Leading international media outlets such as CNN, the Financial Times, the Economist and the South China Morning Post regularly reach out to her as a leading expert in Chinese tech regulation and AI.
TikTok knock
A regular columnist for Project Syndicate, a global commentary outlet, Zhang had analyzed the recent ownership transfer of the social media app TikTok to U.S. investors.
Her piece, “A TikTok Deal China Will Love,” argues that China still will have residual control over the platform’s algorithms. The ownership switch, she writes, “merely replaces one form of dependence with another.”
Says Zhang of her frequent media pieces: “I see scholarship as a product that needs distribution. Publishing is essential, but so is translating ideas for policymakers, journalists, and industry leaders. I hope my research has real-world impact and helps people make more informed decisions.”
Zhang notes that many people are worried about tech regulation and AI.
“Some worry is healthy,” she says. “AI is powerful and dangerous at the same time, and geopolitics — especially U.S. and China competition — adds pressure and complexity.
“We don’t yet have perfect rules. Still, I’m cautiously optimistic. With careful regulatory design, we can manage the risks. At USC, my goal is to train lawyers who can speak both ‘tech’ and ‘policy’ and help build those guardrails.”
Interactive classrooms
About 25 students took Zhang’s AI regulation class this spring.
“They were curious and lively,” she notes. “My teaching style is highly interactive: a brief framing from me, then plenty of discussion so students can test one another’s ideas.”
She also taught Law & Economics of U.S.–China Relations, analyzing the legal stories behind the headlines as they relate to trade, data, export controls and national security.
Zhang is teaching both courses again this fall. This spring, she will launch “Global Data Privacy Law & Practice” with Susan Rohol, a partner at the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.
“Data privacy regulation is increasingly important, and I’m glad to co-teach it with a senior practitioner so students get both doctrine and real-world tools,” says Zhang, who earned her JD at the University of Chicago Law School.
Popular books
Two books written by Zhang — “High Wire: How China Regulates Big Tech and Governs Its Economy” (Oxford University Press, 2024) and “Chinese Antitrust Exceptionalism: How the Rise of China Challenges Global Regulation” (Oxford University Press, 2021) — have been reviewed by top media outlets around the world.
Zhang, the first in her family to attend college, says growing up in what she describes as a “second-tier” city in mainland China gave her little exposure to the wider world.
Now she’s an international expert on all things related to AI regulation, China and U.S. national security.
“I picked law because it was competitive and respected,” Zhang says. “Only later did I realize it’s also a powerful lens for understanding institutions, systems and power.”
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