China has barred the founders of AI startup Manus from leaving the country while regulators review Meta’s $2 billion acquisition.
Manus, dubbed China’s next DeepSeek, developed an autonomous AI agent capable of buying property, programming video games, analyzing stocks, and planning travel itineraries. Its CEO, Xiao Hong, and chief scientist, Ji Yichao, were notified they could not depart pending regulatory approval.
Meta announced the acquisition in December, citing Manus’s groundbreaking autonomy as a catalyst for its AI ambitions. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce confirmed it is assessing whether the deal complies with domestic laws.
Hong stated the acquisition would strengthen Manus’s foundation without altering its operations or decision-making processes.