China Bars Founders After Meta Buy

Chinese regulators summoned the founders of Manus, an AI startup that moved its headquarters to Singapore, and told them they could not leave China while officials review whether the company’s reported $2 billion sale to Meta complied with domestic foreign‑investment rules. No formal charges have been filed, but the move has delayed founder travel and forced the company to hire legal advisers to navigate the review. — This signals a growing risk that China will use investment‑review and travel restrictions to control outbound technology transfers, affecting global AI M&A, talent flows, and corporate risk calculations.