This episode explores the playbook behind the meteoric rise of Manus AI, the startup that redefined the "AI agent" landscape and secured a historic acquisition by Meta for over $2 billion.

In just nine months, Manus went from a stealth spring launch to a $125 million revenue run rate, earning its reputation as China’s "DeepSeek moment." We dive into the technical breakthrough of "computer use"—the frontier where AI agents move beyond chatting to actually operating virtual workspaces to build websites, conduct deep market research, and analyze data like a human professional.

We trace the company’s high-stakes origins, from the previous startups of its three co-founders to the ZhenFund partnership that acted as the ultimate catalyst. Finally, we analyze why Meta bet $2 billion on a 9-month-old product and what this means for the future of WhatsApp, small businesses, and the global AI arms race.

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📖 Episode Chapters

00:02:30 Meta's $2 Billion Bet on Manus AI

00:05:48 Understanding the Leap from LLMs to AI Agents

00:12:12 The Tool Geek: Red XIAO (CEO)

00:27:38 The Scientist-Builder: Peak JI (Chief Scientist)

00:45:54 The Product Philosopher: “Hidecloud” Tao ZHANG (CPO)

00:56:14 The Catalyst: ZhenFund

01:09:30 Start of Butterfly Effect and Monica

01:15:54 The Great Pivot: Killing an AI Browser to Build Manus

01:25:04 Going Viral: The Launch That Shocked the Global AI Community

01:36:43 Meta's Plan? WhatsApp, SMBs, and the Future of Productivity

01:52:55 Poem: The Spirit of M - By Manus

🚩 Correction

00:29:20 Million RMB, not million USD