But shortly after the announcement of the billion-dollar deal, there was an intervention from Beijing. The Chinese regulatory body National Development and Reform Commission banned the foreign takeover of the startup and ordered the immediate cancellation of the deal, Reuters reported.
The move fits into China’s broader strategy to protect domestic technology firms and especially sensitive know-how in the field of artificial intelligence, which is considered a strategic industry.
A digital employee who captivated the world
Manus drew attention to itself this spring when it introduced the so-called universal AI agent – that is, a “digital employee”. It is supposed to handle a wide range of tasks without the need for detailed input: data analysis, programming, market research or creation of web projects.
According to the company, its performance surpasses even some tools from OpenAI. The startup therefore earned the nickname “the new DeepSeek”.
Although Manus has Chinese roots, it is based in Singapore. The move to this financial center was supposed to help the company reduce the effects of geopolitical tension between China and the United States.
Behind the startup is the company Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology, which received tens of millions of dollars in investment this year.
AI as the new battlefield of great powers
The failed acquisition shows that the battle for dominance in the field of AI is increasingly moving from the technological level to geopolitics. And that’s where the tension between Washington and Beijing is growing again.
This month, the United States openly accused China of large-scale theft of artificial intelligence technologies.
According to White House science and technology advisor Michael Kratsios, US authorities have evidence that foreign – especially Chinese – entities are systematically gaining access to US AI innovations. Washington therefore announced that it would take steps to protect them.
Beijing rejected the accusations as baseless and emphasized that the protection of intellectual property is a priority for it.
