Live data from Hacker News

ManusAI Joins Meta

manus.im

111–120 of 221 posts

Re: ManusAI Joins Meta

#111
I think this might be a good acquisition for Meta; we are moving into the stage where backend models matter less and it is more about the users, the user interface, and the growth. A healthy sign.

Re: ManusAI Joins Meta

#112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am Chinese and AI founder since 2023 This statement is completely baseless 1. Manus was never targeting Chinese domestic market, for obvious reasons 2. Manus was founded by successful founder with exit, backed toptier investors in China, they always have great reputation in the AI industry 3. Prior to manus' launch, the team developed Monica, as they are the frontier AI chat bot aggregator I really felt disgusted b…

I am also Chinese and AI founder. > they always have great reputation in the AI industry Highly doubt this. > the team developed Monica, as they are the frontier AI chat bot aggregator How is this remotely technically impressive? LLM chat apps have been commoditized for years already. Even within the Chinese tech/AI community, Manus has often been frowned upon. People literally built OpenManus the next day after Manu…

I am also Chinese and AI user. Manus is excellent, and it's hard to find a rival when it comes to making PPTs. The effect of wild search is exaggerated. The hype from official accounts is one thing, and the overwhelming scam comments on social media are another; neither is accurate. It has been almost a year. If Manus were really as simple as just getting Open Manus up and running, we should have seen many similar products. But unfortunately, there's only one Manus.

Re: ManusAI Joins Meta

#113

Interesting that Meta is acquiring a Chinese company. I was a fan of their initial product but I find it slower than chatpgpt agent mode. And the pricing is not great for individual users.

No, they are no longer; they are now Singaporean companies.

Re: ManusAI Joins Meta

#114

This acquisition is a complete joke in China. From the very beginning, the company focused almost entirely on marketing. Then, after a few months, it fled China and relocated to Singapore. Now that it’s been acquired by Meta, you could say it has finally fulfilled its mission.

From wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manus_(AI_agent)

...

Company background

Butterfly Effect Technology was founded by entrepreneur Xiao Hong (Chinese: 肖弘), who previously established Nightingale Technology in 2015.[2] Nightingale developed productivity tools including "Yiban Assistant" (Chinese: 壹伴助手) and "Weiban Assistant" (Chinese: 微伴助手), AI-driven platforms serving over 2 million business users. These products attracted investment from Tencent and ZhenFund.[5]

In 2022, recognizing the potential of large language models, Xiao Hong founded Butterfly Effect and released Monica, an AI assistant browser extension integrating models including ChatGPT and Claude.[5] By 2024, Monica accumulated over 10 million users while maintaining profitability, serving as both a technological foundation and user acquisition platform for Manus.[5]

---

Doesn't sound like a "company focused almost entirely on marketing".

Re: ManusAI Joins Meta

#115

This acquisition is a complete joke in China. From the very beginning, the company focused almost entirely on marketing. Then, after a few months, it fled China and relocated to Singapore. Now that it’s been acquired by Meta, you could say it has finally fulfilled its mission.

I am Chinese and AI founder since 2023 This statement is completely baseless 1. Manus was never targeting Chinese domestic market, for obvious reasons 2. Manus was founded by successful founder with exit, backed toptier investors in China, they always have great reputation in the AI industry 3. Prior to manus' launch, the team developed Monica, as they are the frontier AI chat bot aggregator I really felt disgusted b…

Please. Manus had a live demo in Google Expo 2025 in Singapore and they blew it. It was such bad taste.

Manus had 1 marketing gimmick with the agents. That is no longer anything novel.

Re: ManusAI Joins Meta

#116

From their Wikipedia, because I had no idea who they were: "Following Manus's launch in March 2025, Butterfly Effect raised $75 million in a funding round led by Benchmark at a valuation of approximately $500 million in April 2025." Half a billion a month after launch and acquisition before the end of the same year. Wild times.

Aquisitions so fast it is income not capital gains.

Re: ManusAI Joins Meta

#117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go on.

Consider the possibility that the people who make these decisions aren't actually all that smart and are easily manipulated by marketing and the sycophants/impostors they surround themselves with.

You're telling me the folks who brought us the metaverse that revolutionized our lives are making dumb investments? That's a bold claim.

Re: ManusAI Joins Meta

#119
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What’s the difference between social media and books? Or is your point that all entertainment is harmful to individuals and society?

>What’s the difference between social media and books? I am struggling to believe that this was asked in good faith.

If we just take this idea in good faith one could make the point that social media and books are more similiar than they appear. They both end up in escapism. They both can teach or entertain. They both are mostly anti-social.

The difference in form increases effectiveness but in the end they are a tool that is designed to escape reality.

Re: ManusAI Joins Meta

#120

From their Wikipedia, because I had no idea who they were: "Following Manus's launch in March 2025, Butterfly Effect raised $75 million in a funding round led by Benchmark at a valuation of approximately $500 million in April 2025." Half a billion a month after launch and acquisition before the end of the same year. Wild times.

Aquisitions so fast it is income not capital gains.

Capital gains are a form of income, and have nothing to do with speed (long-term capital gains are distinguished from short-term capital gains by speed, but...)
Post reply on HN