China has barred Manus CEO Xiao Hong and chief scientist Ji Yichao from leaving the country while an investigation into Meta’s acquisition of the company is underway.
Meta acquired Manus, which developed artificial intelligence (AI) agents that can act as digital workers for research and automation tasks. The National Development and Reform Commission (NRDC) summoned the founders for a meeting in Beijing before imposing a travel ban on them.
Manus is seeking legal advice and consultations to resolve the issue, while Meta insists the $2 billion deal is legal.
Although now based in Singapore, Manus was originally founded in China with offices in Wuhan and Beijing. Chinese authorities conducted an investigation in January to ensure the purchase was legal because Chinese law does not allow AI models created by local companies to be sold or employees transferred out of other countries without government permission.
