Zeping Macro WeChat Account Restricted Due to Violations
The WeChat public account "Zeping Macro," operated by internet economist Ren Zeping, displayed a message from October 23 to 24 stating "this account cannot be followed due to violations." New users are unable to follow or search for the account, but existing followers can still browse historical content normally. The corresponding video account has not faced similar restrictions.
The platform did not disclose the specific reasons for the violations, and customer service for the account stated that the account is experiencing issues, but the reasons are unclear. The account is operated by Haize Zaiwu Information Technology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., which has previously faced platform restrictions due to related speech issues.
In July of this year, a controversy arose regarding its 2980 yuan paid VIP group: a member claimed to have suffered losses exceeding 10 million yuan after heavily investing in storage chip concept stocks Demingli and Jiangbolong, following the belief that "the tech bull market is still on, buy on dips," and accused the team of having no bottom line regarding membership fees.
The team subsequently disbanded the VIP group and issued a statement saying they had repeatedly warned against leveraging, never recommended specific stocks, and expressed regret over the situation. The member later acknowledged that the team did not recommend specific stocks and that they had made their own investment decisions and leveraged.
Previously, this public account was restricted in 2024 due to a public dispute with private equity individuals over market views, and Ren Zeping's Weibo account was silenced in 2022 for suggesting monetary stimulus for childbirth. This restriction only closed the entry for new followers, without deleting content or completely banning the account.
In terms of market mechanisms, paid knowledge services and financial self-media convert macro views into membership income, but individual investment decisions and leverage concentrate risks on followers. The event drives attention towards platform compliance and investment disputes, benefiting services that emphasize risk warnings and compliance boundaries, while putting pressure on funds that rely on single influencer views for high-leverage operations.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
Ren Zeping previously served as the chief economist for Evergrande Group before transitioning to self-media and paid course models, selling 2980 yuan annual memberships and operating VIP groups through the "Zeping Macro" account. In 2022, he was silenced on Weibo for suggesting the central bank print money to stimulate childbirth, and in 2024, he faced restrictions again for publicly debating A-share views with Dan Bin, indicating that his public statements have repeatedly touched the boundaries of the platform.
In terms of capital pathways, membership fee income relies on continuously delivering optimistic macro and sector judgments, with the tech bull narrative attracting leveraged funds into high-elasticity targets like storage chips. After the controversy, the team quickly disbanded the group and emphasized "not recommending individual stocks and warning against leverage multiple times," which is a typical example of responsibility segmentation: income has been realized, while decision-making risks are transferred to individuals.
This is similar to the explosive model of other financial influencers' paid groups after market corrections, akin to the monetization paths of some chief economists at brokerages transitioning to self-media. Currently, there is a tightening of regulatory boundaries on investment consulting and proactive control of violations by platforms, shifting paid opinion services from expansion to compliance pressure.
Essentially, this reflects changes in regulation and the transfer of pricing power. The platform's restriction on new followers reduces the ability to monetize traffic, while investors' pricing power regarding "macro judgment = individual stock signals" shifts from influencers to their own risk-bearing; when high-leverage losses become public, the market re-prices the credibility and sustainability of such services.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
- Membership fees are income, leverage is personal risk
- Macro judgments are easy to spread, individual stock responsibilities are hard to bear
- Platform restrictions on following are more effective than account bans in cutting off new monetization.