AI Weekly Malaysia

China blocked Meta's December 2025 acquisition of Manus AI, the Chinese agentic AI startup that claimed a $100M run rate and had moved its HQ to Singapore. Manus will resume independent operations and will delete all user data generated since December 29, 2025 on August 24, 2026 — users must download before then to restore it afterward.

Why: If you or your team used Manus AI for agent workflows since late December 2025, you have until August 24 to export your data or lose it permanently. The blocked acquisition also signals that China will actively prevent foreign control of notable AI agent companies, which affects any builder considering partnerships, investments, or integrations with Chinese AI startups — expect regulatory friction, not just technical risk.

Workday shares surged 18% and were halted multiple times on a Reuters report that private equity firm Silver Lake is in talks to acquire the HR software maker, whose market value exceeds $50 billion. Workday's stock had been pressured by fears that AI tools would upend its business model, and co-founder Aneel Bhusri was renamed CEO in March.

Why: For SaaS founders, this is a market signal that PE is still willing to bet on enterprise SaaS despite the narrative that AI will displace incumbents like Workday. If the deal materializes, it could reset valuations and M&A appetite in the enterprise software space, which affects exit expectations and fundraising leverage for founders building HR, finance, or workflow SaaS.

Joby Aviation agreed to acquire Ohio-based Resonant Sciences for $500M in cash and stock, creating a dedicated defense division led by Resonant co-founder J. Micah North. Resonant brings $100M in trailing 12-month revenue, RF and sensor systems, and access to classified U.S. government programs, while Joby's defense projects—including turbine-electric and hydrogen-electric aircraft and an autonomy stack—will fold into the new division.

Why: This is a defense-sector M&A story with no direct impact on AI/ML tooling, developer infrastructure, cloud, payments, or startup-building decisions for this audience. The only tangentially relevant detail is Joby's autonomy technology stack, but the article provides no technical specifics to act on.

Archer Aviation is acquiring former rival Wisk Aero plus two other Boeing subsidiaries (SkyGrid, an airspace management software company, and drone maker Insitu) in exchange for newly issued shares giving Boeing roughly a 16.5% stake in Archer. The deal caps a relationship that began with Wisk suing Archer for trade secret theft in 2021, followed by a 2023 settlement making Wisk Archer's exclusive autonomous technology provider. Wisk originated from Kittyhawk, the Larry Page-backed eVTOL startup that shut down in 2022.

Why: Minimal practical impact for this audience. This is an eVTOL hardware M&A story with no direct AI tooling, developer infrastructure, cloud, payments, or SaaS implications. The only software-relevant detail is SkyGrid's airspace management platform changing hands, but it's niche aviation infrastructure unlikely to affect builders here.