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

131–140 of 365 posts

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

#131

Post by capitalhilbilly »

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…

Being stopped that late is a bit different than the US AFAIK, but there is certainly the possibility of being stopped from work and (depending how you react) prevented from leaving the US for purely economic inventions:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_Secrecy_Act

I find it notable that the US' actual checks on government have worked against expanding the secrecy act further into economic protectionism for favored industries, etc.

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

#132

Post by mothballed »

JPKab wrote: post #83
maxglute wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

US absolutely has exit bans on people who break/is being investigated for national security and export control laws, which is what Manus did. Except Americans don't call it hostage taking when they do it.

Please cite an example.

Philip Agee

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

#133

Post by cineticdaffodil »

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…

Usually they just threaten the family that stayed in china to enforce compliance. As in visit by police and do a video call. Good old socialist playbook. Guess the CEOs were to workaholic ti be threatened with the mafia methods.

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

#134

Post by EA-3167 »

T-A wrote: post #125
EA-3167 wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems like, to be very very VERY generous as per the guidelines, a case of limited superficial similarities being blown out of proportion. Assuming the best of intentions.

Wikipedia's description of RSDL does not go into gory details. They are not hard to look up though. See e.g. https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/michael-caster-on-chinas-for...

Do you really believe that "activists" and suspected criminals are given the same treatment as some entrepreneurs who just lost their shirts? This feels like an excuse to bring up something that's fundamentally unrelated to the subject at hand, because there are a dozen closer and more useful comparisons to make than Gitmo.

For example how Japan can hold and question people without access to a lawyer, outside of police stations.

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

#135

Post by wahnfrieden »

ericmay wrote: post #120
ahmadyan wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

They do have export control laws and such, but based on current and past behavior China’s Communist Party doesn’t need those laws to disappear people or create crimes and then make people guilty of said crimes. Worth mentioning though that this is not how America functions, nor our rule of law.

What do you make of this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47927544

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

#139

Post by observationist »

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.

This is standard operating procedure for the CCP. They are a truly ruthless, sinister group who have no scruples about ensuring compliance and using leverage on behalf of Chinese interests. Just look at what happened to Jack Ma.

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

#140

Post by skippyboxedhero »

dublinstats wrote: post #122
guywithahat wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 C…

Shouldn't every country be barring people from leaving the country if they've been charged with a crime? At least if there's a good chance they will flee justice. This seems like a side issue from the question of whether the charges are legitimate.

Yes, everyone country does this. You can be barred from travel in a wide range of other circumstances in many other countries.

Every person has a nationalistic solipsism that renders them incapable of understanding events that occur outside of their own country. China and the US are two countries where this tends to be most severe, people outside these countries seem to believe they possess a profound and innate understanding of events there that renders them capable of offering a complete opinion (and, in reality, that opinion will almost always be entirely self-referential, 20% of the comments on this thread seem to be talking about the US).

At a high-level, the characterization of China as a lawless dictatorship is undermined somewhat by the higher levels of crime in almost every other country. You will see this interpretation of China from people in the US who live in places where there are constant, visible signs of crime.

Post reply on HN