  We report a photoemission and x-ray absorption study on Au1-xPtxTe2 (x = 0
and 0.35) triangular lattice in which superconductivity is induced by Pt
substitution for Au. Au 4f and Te 3d core-level spectra of AuTe2 suggests a
valence state of Au2+(Te2)2-, which is consistent with its distorted crystal
structure with Te-Te dimers and compressed AuTe6 otahedra. On the other hand,
valence-band photoemission spectra and pre-edge peaks of Te 3d absorption edge
indicate that Au 5d bands are almost fully occupied and that Te 5p holes govern
the transport properties and the lattice distortion. The two apparently
conflicting pictures can be reconciled by strong Au 5d/Au 6s-Te 5p
hybridization. Absence of a core-level energy shift with Pt substitution is
inconsistent with the simple rigid band picture for hole doping. The Au 4f
core-level spectrum gets slightly narrow with Pt substitution, indicating that
the small Au 5d charge modulation in distorted AuTe2 is partially suppressed.
