The least surprising chapter of the Manus story is what’s happening right now

Chinese AI startup Manus, which gained rapid traction with its AI agent demo and reached over $100M in annual recurring revenue, relocated from Beijing to Singapore and was acquired by Meta for $2 billion. The deal has intensified tensions in the U.S.-China AI race, with Washington and Beijing both scrutinizing the transaction. China views such moves as 'selling young crops' — homegrown companies transferring IP and talent abroad before fully maturing.