The future of AI? Not bigger, but smarter - and Manus is the proof

In a recent episode of YC Decoded, Garry Tan, president and CEO of Y Combinator, dives into an AI development that is currently causing quite a stir: Manus. Not a new language modeling giant, but a cleverly designed AI agent that shows just how far you can get when you use existing technology intelligently.

In the video, Tan discusses why Manus stands out among other AI solutions such as those from OpenAI and DeepSeek - and especially what we can learn from the way Manus is built. It's a so-called wrapper: a system that combines existing models (such as Anthropic's Claude 3.7) with a battery of tools and a layered agent structure. Sound technical? Not too bad.

Manus actually works like a good team. One agent creates a plan, subagents each tackle part of the task, and together they deliver a complete, logical result. That could be a travel plan, a financial analysis or even a market study based on dozens of documents. So Manus is not a black box, but a transparent work environment where you see what is happening - and where you, the user, have control.

The criticism that wrappers are "just a jacket" is convincingly debunked in the video. Because most successful AI applications are indeed wrappers. They distinguish themselves not through proprietary models, but through clever architecture, thoughtful UX and flawless integration with real workflows.

Manus shows exactly where the power lies: in how to organize, deploy and make existing technology accessible.
And in doing so, it sends a powerful message to anyone building AI products: you don't have to build everything yourself - above all, you have to bring it together well.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOYSDqJdiro