Manus Flies Solo with AI Agents: No Containment Needed

Nvidia and Microsoft are racing to contain rogue AI agents with their Open Agent Safety Platform, but Manus is taking a different approach. The Singapore-based startup gave its AI agents phone numbers, bank accounts, and passports just days after Nvidia unveiled the platform.

The company released Manus 2.0 on September 28, which is powered by an in-house framework called Cascade that cuts token use by 23%, trims task time by 28%, and reduces costs by 32%. It also launched Cue, a consumer app that gives each AI agent its own phone number, email address, spending wallet, and cloud computer.

The dominant instinct across the industry is containment, but Manus' approach is to make its agents accountable rather than dangerous. The company's wallet is capped at a budget set by the user, making it traceable and responsible. In contrast, Nvidia's Open Agent Safety Platform uses Sentry, a monitoring layer that can quarantine an agent in milliseconds if it strays outside its lane.

Manus has raised $75 million from Benchmark Capital and relocated to Singapore after being part of Monica.im's parent Butterfly Effect. The company is reportedly negotiating a fresh $500 million round valuing it at $4 billion with potential backers including CATL, IDG Capital, and Boyu Capital.