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Open-Source Strikes Again: How Manus AI Obliterated Trump’s $500 Billion Stargate Fantasy
For decades, American leaders have pitched grandiose infrastructure projects as the key to securing technological dominance. Donald Trump’s recent announcement of the Stargate Project — a $500 billion initiative to supercharge the country’s AI industry — followed this well-worn script.
Trump called Stargate “a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential” and promised it would create over 100,000 jobs “almost immediately.” His pitch leaned heavily on nationalism, with a clear message: the future of AI must be built in the United States, safe from China’s encroaching influence.
But within 24 hours, that vision was shattered. Not by Congress, not by regulators, but by Manus AI — an open-source, general AI agent that did the very thing Stargate was meant to accomplish, for free.
The Rise of Manus: A Free Market Disruption
Manus AI is not just another chatbot. Unlike large language models such as OpenAI’s GPT or China’s DeepSeek, Manus is an autonomous AI agent that acts, not just responds.
Consider this: an employer looking to screen resumes or organize candidate profiles can now delegate the entire process to Manus. A user seeking a new apartment can simply type their budget and…