Manus AI's two founders are banned from leaving mainland China. actual news, a few days ago Manus ai's 2 founders were asked to visit China from singapore but were banned from leaving script translation: Manus AI's Two Founders Barred from Leaving China: Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao, Invited to Mainland for Meetings with Officials, Are Unable to Leave; Manus's Severing of Chinese Operations, Seemingly Sowing the Seeds of Disaster, Amidst Meta's $2 Billion Acquisition of Manus Manus, hailed as China's strongest AI agent, including CEO Xiao Hong and Chief Scientist Ji Yichao, were suddenly barred from leaving China after being invited to meet with regulatory officials. Reports indicate that Chinese regulators are investigating whether Meta's $2 billion acquisition of Manus violated mainland investment regulations. Analysts believe China may be trying to hinder Meta's use of Chinese technology to develop AI. This rare event has shaken the global Chinese AI community, with attention focused on whether Manus, rising in China, has "severed its Chinese operations" in preparation for a sale, going too far and incurring Beijing's wrath. In the power struggle between Silicon Valley and China in the AI arena, HK$15.6 billion (US$2 billion) can buy cutting-edge AI technology, but not freedom. In March 2026, as Meta (formerly Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg prepared to integrate the acquired "general AI agent" technology into the social lives of billions of people worldwide, the key figures in the deal—Manus founder Xiao Hong and chief scientist Ji Yichao—experienced the most brutal setback of their entrepreneurial careers in Beijing. Reportedly, these two AI geniuses, who had already moved to Singapore in an attempt to geographically "de-Sinicize" themselves, returned to mainland China earlier this month at the invitation of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). What they thought was merely a routine briefing on the acquisition turned into an unexpected situation: after the meeting, they were informed that due to regulatory scrutiny, they were prohibited from leaving China, effectively under house arrest. This incident, jokingly referred to as a "lured meeting," not only threatened to halt Meta's multi-billion dollar acquisition but also revealed that in the AI era, top talent has become a "strategic resource" that major powers cannot afford to touch.
shout out to @nototallyerror for most of the script
