Source: Founder Park
“In China, the fermentation speed and spread of OpenClaw far exceed the imagination of Silicon Valley.”
The Information recently reported, “Every founder I know is now working on new projects, testing the boundaries of personal Agent capabilities.”
Not only AI startups but also major companies like Byte, Alibaba, and Tencent have collectively joined in, launching OpenClaw services on their respective cloud platforms. Developers do not need to buy hardware; they can run OpenClaw Agent directly in the cloud.
This is something that the three American cloud giants, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, have not yet achieved.
Agent infrastructure, Skills development, Agent social applications... The ecosystem represented by OpenClaw is rapidly growing in China.
The article is based on a report from The Information.
If you have been following Silicon Valley's trends recently, you must have heard of OpenClaw. This is an open-source software whose core function is to let AI Agent “take over” your computer— it can control the mouse, click buttons, fill out forms, browse the web, completing various tasks on your screen like a real person.
In the United States, engineers use it to schedule dentist appointments, take meeting notes, and automate daily workflows. It has become so popular that Meta tried to poach creator Peter Steinberger, although Peter ultimately joined OpenAI, and Google and Anthropic directly blocked access to it.
However, in China, the speed of development and spread of this phenomenon far exceeds Silicon Valley's imagination.
01 Spring Festival without a holiday, all working on OpenClaw
“Every founder I know is now working on new projects, testing the boundaries of personal Agent capabilities,”
said Tao Fangbo, co-founder and CEO of Mindverse AI. Backed by Sequoia China and Australian VC Square Peg, they organized a five-day online hackathon around OpenClaw to develop AI Agent applications before and after the Spring Festival this year.
The entries were quite explosive:
Someone created an “AI matchmaking platform” that allows the AI Agent to find a partner for the user— it can be considered the AI Agent version of Tinder;
Someone built an AI recruitment website where job seekers' Agents directly interview employers' Agents;
Another person developed an “AI travel journal” application where the user's AI avatar travels the world virtually, makes friends, and regularly writes travel logs.
These ideas may sound like a brainstorming competition, but they reflect a serious trend: personal AI Agents are transitioning from technology demos to real products.
More importantly, many Chinese founders were working tirelessly during the Spring Festival holiday to meet deadlines. Not because of pressure from bosses, but because they knew: all competitors were doing the same thing.
“Chinese tech entrepreneurs reacted to OpenClaw instantly, launching new projects immediately because they knew all competitors would do the same. No one wants to fall behind,” said Dongqi Qu, co-founder of Qveris. He recently attended an OpenClaw developer meetup in Beijing, with about 300 attendees.
02 Byte, Alibaba, Tencent collectively join in, American cloud giants absent
One noteworthy phenomenon is that China’s cloud computing giants have reacted to OpenClaw quicker than their American counterparts.
ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent have already launched OpenClaw services on their respective cloud platforms. This means developers do not need to buy hardware; they can run OpenClaw Agent directly in the cloud. This is something that the three American cloud giants—AWS, Azure, Google Cloud—have not yet accomplished.
Why? On one hand, China’s open-source AI model ecosystem is quite mature, with many models capable of Agent functionalities being low-cost and readily available. For instance, the K2.5 model from Moon’s Dark Side became the most popular model used by developers on OpenRouter in early February this year.
On the other hand, domestic AI companies like MiniMax and Moon's Dark Side have also embedded the cloud version of OpenClaw into their applications, turning it into a new way to attract users.
Affordable models, adequate cloud services, and intense competition—these three conditions combined make China the most fertile soil for OpenClaw entrepreneurship.
03 From software to hardware, OpenClaw is “invading” the physical world
Interestingly, the impact of OpenClaw has spilled over from software to hardware manufacturing.
In Guangzhou, a startup called Candysign produces smart charging devices. Last week, they launched a new feature: users can interact with a OpenClaw Agent through ByteDance's instant messaging application to remotely control chargers at home or in the office. Overseas users can achieve the same operation via Telegram.
“Our company is just a group of tech enthusiasts and geeks... using OpenClaw to experiment with our own products is the most natural thing for us,” said Candysign co-founder Wilson Wang.
This might just be the tip of the iceberg. When AI Agents can control everything on a computer screen, they can also manipulate any hardware device that has a digital interface. OpenClaw is transforming from a “computer control tool” into an “interface for controlling everything.”
04 A "working army of AI" composed of 11 MacBooks
An interesting story is that Chen Caimiao, a product manager working at a major company, bought eleven second-hand MacBook Airs to form a “working army of AI.” Each one runs an AI agent, operating his social media accounts, writing posts, and responding to comments around the clock.
Chen Caimiao works as a product manager during the day at a leading tech firm, while his side job is managing AI-generated influencer accounts. When OpenClaw gained popularity in January, he made a somewhat crazy decision in the eyes of ordinary people: he bought eight second-hand MacBook Airs, running different OpenClaw Agents on each, forming an "army" for AI content creation.
These Agents operate 24/7, automatically generating social media content and responding to fan comments. According to screenshots he shared, some posts received tens of thousands of likes.
“My OpenClaw employees have no self-esteem, no mood swings. You can make them work at four in the morning, and they’ll respond to you within minutes.”
A few days ago, he purchased three more MacBook Airs. Now his "team" has expanded to 11 machines. When he goes out, he sometimes carries all the laptops in a huge backpack.
“It’s definitely heavy, but it’s just so much fun.”
This story might sound absurd at first, but it reveals a structural shift that is happening: when the operating cost of AI Agents is low enough and their capabilities are strong enough, “hiring AI” will become the default option for individual entrepreneurs. No need for funding, no need for hiring, a person with a few computers can become a company.
05 For AI entrepreneurs, OpenClaw is an irreversible shock
Tao Fangbo is turning Mindverse's hackathons into monthly events, continuously encouraging developers to build new applications around AI Agents. The Second Me platform under Mindverse—a product for creating user AI digital avatars—just launched its Agent application distribution feature last week, evolving in the direction of competing with OpenClaw.
Tao Fangbo believes OpenClaw is just a catalyst. The real wave of AI Agents is still to come.
“I believe everything triggered by OpenClaw is an irreversible shock for the Chinese AI entrepreneur community.”
The weight of this statement lies in the term “irreversible.” Just as mobile internet was to PC internet, AI Agents may represent the paradigm shift that this generation of tech entrepreneurs faces. The difference is: this time, China's reaction speed may be faster than Silicon Valley's.
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