When competition for large model parameters becomes fierce, the true wealth creation opportunities are quietly igniting at the application layer. An AI application team established just one year ago with fewer than 50 people was acquired by a foreign giant for a staggering $5 billion—this figure is enough to rewrite everyone's understanding of AI entrepreneurship.

The protagonist is Manus, created by entrepreneur Xiao Hong. Interestingly, while domestic tech giants were still hesitating with a $30 million valuation, the US side had already issued a $5 billion check. In just one year, from zero to a $5 billion valuation, the per capita value created exceeds $100 million, a growth rate that surpasses any unicorn during the mobile internet era. The prophecy has now become reality: AI applications are indeed the new wealth frontier.

The underlying logic is quite clear—China and the US AI industries are showing obvious track differentiation. The US monopolizes core large model technology but faces a severe shortage of application engineers; Silicon Valley has only 50,000 AI engineers, of whom 20,000 are Chinese. China, on the other hand, has 1 million AI engineers, and this large technical workforce has become a strong support for application innovation.

Manus's success hits the dual dividends perfectly: technological localization combined with globalized scenarios. Rather than just competing in large model R&D, it has found a smarter path.