The Next Breakthrough In AI Agents Is Here

In recent months, AI agents have gone from experimental to increasingly useful, with platforms like DeepSeek and OpenAI's Deep Research redefining what’s possible. Now, a new contender has entered the field—Manus, a general purpose AI agent that’s managed to capture global attention. In this episode of YC Decoded, President and CEO Garry Tan dives into how Manus' unique architecture sets it apart, what its launch says about the broader debate around GPT "wrappers," and why they might actually be more valuable than they first appear. Apply to attend our upcoming AI Startup School in SF: https://events.ycombinator.com/ai-sus Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/YCDecoded-apply Work at a startup: https://yc.link/YCDecoded-jobs Chapters (Powered by https://chapterme.co/) - 00:00 - Will Manus Change How AI Agents Work? 01:32 - What Is Manus And How Does it Work? 02:05 - What Sets Manus Apart 03:40 - What Can Manus Accomplish? 04:45 - The "Wrapper" critique 06:20 - The Pros of Manus 07:00 - The Cons of Manus 07:50 - What This Means For Founders