The Information: The fermentation and spread of OpenClaw in China's AI circle far exceeds Silicon Valley's expectations

Source: Founder Park

“In China, the fermentation speed and diffusion range of OpenClaw far exceed Silicon Valley’s expectations.”

The latest report from The Information mentions, “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 ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent are collectively entering the scene, launching OpenClaw services on their respective cloud platforms. Developers no longer need to buy hardware; they can run OpenClaw Agents directly in the cloud.

This is something AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, the three American cloud giants, have yet to achieve.

Infrastructure for Agents, Skills development, Agent social applications… The ecosystem around Agents, represented by OpenClaw, is rapidly growing in China.

This article is a translation based on The Information’s report.

If you’ve been following Silicon Valley’s recent movements, you’ve probably heard of OpenClaw. It’s an open-source software whose core function is to let AI Agents “take over” your computer—they can control the mouse, click buttons, fill out forms, browse web pages, and complete various tasks on your screen like a real person.

In the US, engineers use it to book dentist appointments, record meetings, and automate daily workflows. It became so popular that Meta tried to poach its creator, Peter Steinberger. However, Peter eventually moved to OpenAI, and Google and Anthropic have blocked access to it.

But in China, the speed of its fermentation and diffusion far surpasses Silicon Valley’s expectations.

01 No holidays during Spring Festival, 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. Behind Mindverse are Sequoia China and Australian VC Square Peg. Around this year’s Spring Festival, they held a five-day online hackathon focused on developing AI applications with OpenClaw.

The submissions were quite explosive:

Some created an “AI dating platform,” where AI Agents find partners for users—akin to an AI version of Tinder;

Some built an AI recruitment website, where candidates’ Agents interview with employers’ Agents;

Others developed an “AI travel journal” app, where users’ AI avatars travel the world virtually, make friends, and periodically write travel logs.

These may sound like wild ideas, but they reflect a serious trend: personal AI Agents are shifting from tech demos to real products.

More importantly, many Chinese founders worked tirelessly during the Spring Festival holiday. Not because their bosses demanded it, but because they knew: all competitors are doing the same.

“Chinese tech entrepreneurs’ reactions to OpenClaw are immediate—they start new projects right away because they know all competitors will 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 ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent collectively enter the scene; US cloud giants absent

A noteworthy phenomenon is that China’s cloud giants responded to OpenClaw faster than their US counterparts.

ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent have already launched OpenClaw services on their respective cloud platforms. This means developers can run OpenClaw Agents in the cloud without buying hardware. AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud haven’t achieved this yet.

Why? On one hand, China’s open-source AI model ecosystem is quite mature, with many models capable of Agent functions available at low cost. For example, the K2.5 model from Moonlit Shadow became the most popular model on OpenRouter for OpenClaw development in early February.

On the other hand, domestic AI companies like MiniMax and Moonlit Shadow have embedded the cloud version of OpenClaw into their applications, turning it into a new way to attract users.

Cheap models, robust cloud services, fierce competition—these three conditions make China the most fertile ground for OpenClaw startups.

03 From software to hardware, OpenClaw is “invading” the physical world

Even more interestingly, OpenClaw’s influence has spilled over from software into hardware manufacturing.

In Guangzhou, a startup called Candysign produces smart charging devices. Last week, they launched a new feature: users can communicate with an OpenClaw Agent via ByteDance’s instant messaging app to remotely control their home or office chargers. Overseas users can do the same through Telegram.

“Our company is just a bunch of tech geeks… experimenting with OpenClaw on our own products is the most natural thing for us,” said Wilson Wang, co-founder of Candysign.

This might just be the tip of the iceberg. When AI Agents can control everything on a computer screen, they can also control any hardware device with a digital interface. OpenClaw is transforming from a “computer control tool” into an “all-thing control portal.”

04 The “AI workforce” composed of 11 MacBooks

An interesting story is that product manager Chen Caimao, working at a big tech company, bought eleven second-hand MacBook Airs to form an “AI workforce.” Each runs an AI agent, operating 24/7 to manage his social media accounts, write posts, and reply to comments.

Chen works as a product manager at a leading tech giant by day, and runs AI-generated influencer accounts as a side hustle. When OpenClaw became popular in January, he made a somewhat crazy decision: bought eight second-hand MacBook Airs, each running a different OpenClaw Agent, forming an AI content creation “army.”

These agents operate around the clock, automatically creating social media content and replying to fans. Some posts have received tens of thousands of likes, according to screenshots he shared.

“My OpenClaw employees have no self-esteem, no emotional fluctuations. You can make them work at 4 a.m., and they’ll reply within minutes.”

A few days ago, he added three more MacBook Airs. Now his “team” has grown to 11 machines. Sometimes he carries all of them in a huge backpack when he goes out.

“It’s really heavy, but it’s so much fun.”

This story sounds absurd at first glance, but it reveals a structural shift happening: when the operating costs of AI Agents are low enough and their capabilities strong enough, “hiring AI” will become the default option for individual entrepreneurs. No funding needed, no hiring required—just a person with a few computers is a company.

05 For AI entrepreneurs, OpenClaw is an irreversible shock

Tao Fangbo is turning Mindverse’s hackathon into a monthly event, continuously encouraging developers to build new applications around AI Agents. Last week, Mindverse’s Second Me platform— a product for creating user AI digital avatars—launched an Agent application distribution feature, moving toward OpenClaw competitors.

Tao Fangbo believes that OpenClaw is just a trigger. The real wave of AI Agents is still ahead.

“I think everything triggered by OpenClaw is an irreversible shock for China’s AI startup community.”

The weight of this statement lies in the word “irreversible.” Just as mobile internet transformed PC internet, AI Agents may represent a paradigm shift for this generation of tech entrepreneurs. The difference is: this time, China’s response speed might be faster than Silicon Valley’s.