When I came across a news article this morning, I was stunned for a few seconds. The one that was once popular last year The whole internet is searching for invitation codes and Manus that have flooded social media overnight, Acquired by Meta. And it's not the symbolic kind. The rumored acquisition price is as high as 2 billion US dollars. In an instant, there was only one sentence in my mind: The original wave of excitement is really not a foam. If you were in the AI industry last year, you must remember Manus. That typical product—— Not a 'show off demo', But it's the kind of tool that you immediately notice something's wrong when you use it. It doesn't just answer questions, But it's about being able to disassemble tasks, search for information, write things, and run processes on your own. Give it a goal and it will do it on its own. Later on, everyone gradually realized: Oh, this is Agent. The real strength of Manus is not 'what it can do', But it dares to directly consume the workflow of 'people'. Not to assist you, Not to improve efficiency, But rather—— I'll take care of this, don't worry about it At that time, among the products that were still in the ChatBot and Copilot stages, Manus is a rare occurrence A team that is truly moving towards' replacement '. That's also why it can: User surge The payment rate is not low Rapidly spreading in overseas circles The word 'Agent' was later used up, But Manus was one of the first to truly "feel the Agent" among ordinary people. Even more ironic is another matter. Last year, ByteDance tried to acquire Manus for about 30 million dollars. This is not a secret in the circle. At that time, many people's first reaction was: Isn't it quite high Selling early is also normal But now you can also see the result: Not for sale. One year later, Directly sold to Meta, the valuation has increased by nearly a hundred times. Do you think this is luck? Not entirely. This is a difference in judgment about one thing: Will agents become the next generation of core computing entry points. Many people only focus on the number of "2 billion US dollars". But what is more worth pondering is actually another clue: Manus later placed the company's main body in Singapore. This step is too crucial. It's not because of any magic in Singapore, But because: Targeting global users Targeting US dollar capital Targeting buyers such as Meta, OpenAI, and Google You must stand in the coordinate system they are accustomed to. The product is global, That company also needs to be global. This also raises a question that makes many Chinese AI entrepreneurs uncomfortable: Why are there so many AI startups, Finally, it is difficult to take root in Chinese Mainland? It's not that the technology is not good, It's not human, it's not human, It's not even entirely a matter of money. But rather something more realistic: What should we do when we grow up Can we serve global users without friction Can it be acquired by global giants Can we take a clear and predictable exit path These issues, For early entrepreneurs, Much more important than model parameters. Returning to Meta. You need to understand one thing: Meta is not a 'spectator investor'. What it lacks the most now, Not a model, Not computing power, But rather the Agent layer that can truly run on top of the model. Chat is the entrance, But agents are the productivity. And Manus, Standing exactly at this position. So this acquisition, Rather than saying 'buy a startup company', It's better to say it's—— I directly bought a fast lane leading to the next generation product form. Finally, let me say something very personal. Many people interpret this matter as: Chinese AI has once again been harvested by the United States. Some people may also say: This is the success of Chinese entrepreneurs. I prefer to look at it from a less grand perspective: This is an entrepreneur, at a critical moment, There is no story of selling oneself cheap. In the era of AI, This kind of story, It will become less and more expensive. If you snatched Manus' invitation code last year, If you have used an agent, If you are starting a business or want to start a business, You can probably understand this complex emotion. Not envy, It's not anger either, But rather a kind of: The feeling of 'the world has already come this far'. This news is not just the end of Manus. It's more like the endpoint of many people's fantasies. It is also the beginning of another reality.