Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

cnbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 365 posts

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#101

Post by vkou »

aesch wrote: post #22
stego-tech wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect this is more of a warning shot to others attempting the same playbook ("Singapore-washing", as I've heard folks call it): the state is watching, and shifting geopolitics means it's in their interest to retain successful talent and entities at home rather than let opposition have them. If anything, I'm genuinely surprised it took them this long. America's been doing this for decades without much in the way o…

I don't know if America has done anything quite like this. The example I'm looking for is where a company starts in the US but leaves and incorporates outside the US and then the US attempts to block acquisition by a foreign company. Also, the enforcement mechanism while vague seems un-American. America might tax the company upon exit but it wouldn't hold the founders hostage in America. If you have examples I'd be c…

The US doesn't need to do 'something like this', they can just bar you from the global financial system if they don't like you. [1]

Or just order another country to snatch you up.

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meng_Wanzhou

She was arrested, and was being extradited from Canada into the United States... Because her Chinese company was doing business with Iran.

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Bout

This chap was arrested in Thailand, extradited, and did a decade in a US prison because he had the audacity of selling weapons from Russia to Colombia. I'm not sure how exactly US law is of any relevance to such transactions...

---

[1] Or, since 2025, just shoot a missile at your boat, with an option for a follow-up salvo if there any survivors. Strangely enough, everyone who has managed to survive both the initial attack, and the double-tap has so far been repatriated to their countries of origin, with no charges filed by the US.

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#102

Post by skeledrew »

wxw wrote: post #6

> After a $75 million fundraising round led by U.S. venture firm Benchmark in May 2025, Manus shut its China offices in July, laying off dozens of employees. It then moved its operations to Singapore. > It was not immediately clear on what grounds China was seeking the annulment of a deal involving a Singapore-based company and how, if at all, a completed acquisition transaction would be unwound. > Manus' two co-foun…

The co-founders have roots in China. As such it's already a done deal that China will get its way.

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#103

Post by some_random »

stego-tech wrote: post #53
some_random wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not even getting into the more dubious part of this claim, just because the British or Americans did it doesn't mean it's right or acceptable. If you disagree with that, you're implicitly pro slavery, pro penal expeditions, etc.

Oh, no, it's incredibly reprehensible what China's doing. Just like it was reprehensible that America propped up the Iranian shah to ensure western oil interests were served. And reprehensible that the British Empire got the Chinese addicted to Opium to force more favorable trade agreements. Also reprehensible is the Cuban blockade imposed by America, which has prohibited the country from thriving or failing on its o…

You find it reprehensible but can't _just_ say that, you have to justify it with "and also the Americans and British did it". Yeah right.

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#104

Post by HSO »

pear01 wrote: post #80
orange_joe wrote: post #18

interesting. Manus is nominally a Singapore based company and should be immune to these actions. Tiktok argued that it was headquartered in Singapore with a Singaporean CEO. breaking singapore’s fig leaf might prove problematic in the long run.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR): So you said today, as you often say that you live in Singapore. Of what nation are you a citizen? Shou Chew: Singapore. Cotton: Are you a citizen of any other nation? Chew: No, Senator. Cotton: Have you ever applied for Chinese citizenship? Chew: Senator? I served my nation in Singapore. No, I did not. Cotton: Do you have a Singaporean passport? Chew: Yes, and I served my military for two and…

what part of they are chinese citizens was hard for you to understand?

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#105

Post by ahmadyan »

giwook wrote: post #69
throw03172019 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dealt with is the founders / team / investors losing out of the $2B. That’s the punishment from China.

Somehow I think there is a real possibility more will happen. Barring them from leaving the country feels a bit sinister for people who haven't been accused of committing any crimes. I don't claim to know what's going on outside of what's being reported, but I'm reminded of other individuals who have "stepped out of line" (as determined by Beijing) and were also either barred from the country or mysteriously disappea…

> Barring them from leaving the country feels a bit sinister for people who haven't been accused of committing any crimes.

Pure speculation on my part, but i would be surprised if China didn't have our equivalent of export control laws, not difficult to fabricate a crime and pin it on founders.

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#106

Post by some_random »

dublinstats wrote: post #50
some_random wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chinese company has an issue being a Chinese company for international legal or optics reasons, relocates to Singapore while still being controlled by Chinese nationals or all-but-Chinese-Nationals. Bytedance is a great example. Russian companies do the same thing with Switzerland, see Kaspersky.

They could just as well relocate to California for that matter. The question is are they still controlled by the PRC. China doesn't allow dual citizenship (like other Asian countries), so people might legitimately want to work abroad while keeping their native passport.

Yes but also no, being in the US is a meaningful exposure in a way that a Singapore HQ isn't

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#107

Post by nandomrumber »

stego-tech wrote: post #49
reissbaker wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've been all over this this thread responding with the same whataboutist comments claiming America does the same thing. And yet, I'm pretty sure America hasn't held American citizens hostage in order to force them to unwind a sale of a foreign company they founded to a different foreign company.

[flagged]

> have military bases scattered around the world to invade anyone at a moment's notice

I wonder how that came about?

What’s that fence analogy called?

Chester-what?

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#108

Post by bit-anarchist »

maxglute wrote: post #95
JPKab wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please cite an example.

Not sure if serious, you think US doesn't make people surrender passports for NSL investigations, i.e. Supermicro trio surrendered their passports.

Not comparable. The Supermicro trio wasn't trapped for trying to sell a company to China.

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#109

Post by guywithahat »

giwook wrote: post #69
throw03172019 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dealt with is the founders / team / investors losing out of the $2B. That’s the punishment from China.

Somehow I think there is a real possibility more will happen. Barring them from leaving the country feels a bit sinister for people who haven't been accused of committing any crimes. I don't claim to know what's going on outside of what's being reported, but I'm reminded of other individuals who have "stepped out of line" (as determined by Beijing) and were also either barred from the country or mysteriously disappea…

> Barring them from leaving the country feels a bit sinister for people who haven't been accused of committing any crimes

I don't think it's actually that uncommon in China, especially with high profile people. To China's credit, we often bar people from leaving the country if they're charged with a crime but not convicted of anything. While it's certainly scary and authoritarian, I think it's par for the course in China. Most companies have some amount of CCP representation in them, either on the board or some level of management.

Re: China blocks Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus

#110

Post by maxglute »

bit-anarchist wrote: post #108
maxglute wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure if serious, you think US doesn't make people surrender passports for NSL investigations, i.e. Supermicro trio surrendered their passports.

Not comparable. The Supermicro trio wasn't trapped for trying to sell a company to China.

Directly comparable, trying to circumvent export controls. One is chips other is algo.
Post reply on HN