China Plans to Lift Exit Bans on Manus Founders, Company to Spin Off from Meta and Resume Independent Operations

According to the UK's Financial Times, China plans to lift exit restrictions on the founders of AI agent company Manus. Previously, Manus CEO Xiao Hong and Chief Scientist Ji Yichao were required to travel to Beijing for investigation and were restricted from leaving the country in March this year, as the company's acquisition by Meta for $2 billion was suspected of violating investment regulations. According to two informed sources, Xiao Hong recently told employees that he plans to return to Singapore, where the company's headquarters is located, in the near future. Manus announced this week that it will soon resume independent operations, stating that this move is "part of the separation from Meta to comply with regulatory requirements in specific regions." The divestiture transaction still requires final approval from China's National Development and Reform Commission (the NDRC had halted Meta's acquisition in April).