In the crowded world of AI innovation, few stories stand out like that of Monica, a Chinese startup that catapulted from a humble browser plugin to unveiling Manus AI, a viral sensation, on March 6, 2025. Led by Xiao Hong, a post-90s entrepreneur with a knack for turning ideas into impact, Monica’s latest creation is being hailed as the “world’s first truly general AI agent.” With over 27.8 million reads on Weibo and a demo video hitting 370,000 views on X in 20 hours, Manus is more than a product—it’s a testament to how a small team can challenge global giants like OpenAI.
Xiao Hong’s journey began a decade ago at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, where he earned a software engineering degree in 2015. That same year, he founded Ye Ying Technology, launching Yi Ban Assistant and Wei Ban Assistant—tools that amassed over 2 million business users and caught the eye of heavyweights like Tencent and ZhenFund. But it was Monica, an AI assistant plugin initially aimed at overseas markets, that put him on the map. By integrating models like Claude 3.5 and DeepSeek, Monica grew to over a million users, becoming a leader in the AI plugin space with features like chat, translation, and copywriting. In February 2025, a Chinese version built on DeepSeek R1 and V3 models entered internal testing, setting the stage for something bigger.
That something was Manus AI. Launched just days ago, it’s a far cry from a simple plugin. Billed as an autonomous agent that bridges “mind and hand” (its name nods to the Latin “Mens et Manus”), Manus doesn’t just suggest—it delivers. Need a 7-day Japan itinerary with proposal ideas? It researches, budgets, and crafts a file. Hiring a reinforcement learning engineer? It unzips 15 resumes, reviews them page-by-page like a human intern, and logs key details. It even builds websites from scratch. A YouTube demo showcased it controlling 50 screens at once—browsing X, analyzing Tesla stocks, scanning WhatsApp—hinting at a versatility that’s sparked comparisons to China’s earlier DeepSeek moment.
Manus’s technical edge lies in its multi-signature system—multiple independent models working together—paired with a cloud-based setup that lets it toil away after users disconnect. It adapts to preferences over time, a feature Monica claims enhances its utility across industries. On the GAIA benchmark, a test of real-world problem-solving for AI assistants, Manus reportedly sets a new state-of-the-art standard across all three difficulty levels, outpacing OpenAI’s DeepResearch. While specific scores aren’t public, the demos back up the hype: files created, websites deployed, tasks completed with a human-like touch.
Xiao’s vision isn’t new to investors. Tencent’s venture arm and ZhenFund backed Monica early, with a seed round in July 2022 via a related firm, Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology Co Ltd. By December 2024, Xiao stepped down as a shareholder—perhaps a strategic move to focus on innovation over ownership, a hallmark of serial entrepreneurs. His co-founder, Ji Yichao, a 33-year-old tech enthusiast behind the Mammoth browser, now drives Manus’s scientific direction, calling it “the next evolution in AI.” Together, they’ve turned a plugin-maker into a contender poised to reshape human-machine collaboration.
The reception has been electric. Invitation codes for Manus’s preview are reselling for up to 100,000 yuan ($13,797) on Xianyu, with demand crashing Monica’s small team’s servers. Partner Zhang Tao’s X plea for patience underscores their underdog status—just “a few dozen” staff against a tidal wave of interest. Yet, this grassroots grit mirrors China’s broader tech ascent, where startups like DeepSeek, launched in January 2025, have already challenged Western dominance at a fraction of the cost.
Here’s a look at the minds behind Monica:
| Name | Role | Background | Previous Ventures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xiao Hong | Founder | Software engineering grad, Huazhong Univ., 2015 | Ye Ying Technology, Monica plugin |
| Ji Yichao | Co-founder, Chief Scientist | Entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, 33 years old | Mammoth mobile browser |
From a browser plugin to a potential AI powerhouse, Monica’s rise with Manus reflects Xiao Hong’s relentless drive. As plans to open-source parts of the model loom later in 2025, this could be China’s next big tech export—proof that a small team with big ideas can take on the world.
