Countries Are Locking Down AI Talent as Global Competition Intensifies
The AI talent war is opening a new front. China’s National Development and Reform Commission blocked Meta from completing its $2B acquisition of Manus over national security concerns. In Japan, Tokyo Electron cut ties with a senior executive over family links to Chinese chip startups. Together, the moves signal a hard pivot from hardware export bans toward IP and expertise containment.
- Manus had crossed $100M in ARR with millions of users before the deal collapsed, giving Meta a proven, scaled AI business with paying customers and real infrastructure.
- Tokyo Electron controls ~90% of track systems, making any talent or IP leakage to Chinese chip rivals highly consequential.
The walls keep closing: Momentum Works’ Jianggan Li warned that scrutiny like the Manus case will make it “increasingly hard” for Chinese AI founders to operate across borders. Meta believes the deal complied with laws and expects a resolution, but with teams already integrated, unwinding it won’t be simple. As the University of Tokyo’s Akira Igata put it, “companies that hope to survive and grow over the long term must take economic security risks seriously” — and right now, governments are making sure they have no choice.
