Openclaw, Government Support Fuel Rise Of 1-person Companies In China

Steven Li sells cosmetics to overseas customers from the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. This month, amid the popularity of the OpenClaw AI agent framework, he expanded the business by “hiring” four “AI employees”.

On the front lines, the AI customer service manages real-time inquiries 24/7 on WhatsApp while a “digital sales” agent provides price quotes. Behind the scenes, a third role ensures operational transparency by providing tracking status for every order, while an “operations assistant” synthesises raw data into actionable performance reports.

The approach “frees up human power by automating repetitive work”, Li said. The total cost is roughly US$40 per month for two subscriptions to ChatGPT Plus accounts.

The era of “solopreneurship” has arrived in China, propelled by the explosive growth of OpenClaw and a raft of supportive government policies aimed at nurturing one-person companies (OPCs).

This week, Guangdong became the first provincial-level government to roll out comprehensive action plans specifically designed to support AI-powered OPCs, followed by the provincial government of Hubei in central China. Both are providing resources for computing power and token output.

Several city and district authorities have rolled out similar policies, including Shanghai, Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, and Qingdao city in northern Shandong province.

A Zhipu staff member helps residents install and setup AutoClaw, a local version of the AI agent OpenClaw developed by Zhipu, in Beijing on March 13, 2026. Photo: Reuters

Notably, Shenzhen – a major tech hub home to giants like Huawei Technologies and Tencent Holdings – also decided to tap into the nascent business model enabled by OpenClaw, the OpenAI-owned agent that has taken the market by storm with its ability to perform tasks on behalf of human beings.

Earlier this month, Shenzhen’s Longgang district government drafted “Measures to support the development of OpenClaw and OPC”, explicitly binding the two popular concepts.

“The continued popularity of OpenClaw and various related applications will further accelerate the widespread adoption of the OPC model,” said Guo Tao, a Beijing-based angel investor who closely follows AI.

He said OpenClaw and similar intelligent systems could “address the core pain points of traditional entrepreneurship,” including repetitive work like copywriting, coding and design, “allowing founders to focus on core ideas and strategic decisions.”

Guo estimated that starting a company with the help of AI could cost as little as US$500.

But solopreneurs like Li have had to deal with unexpected problems arising from the use of AI. Li said an AI employee woke him at 3 am reporting for work, so he improved the system by setting up working hours.

With youth unemployment stubbornly high in China, opportunities offered by traditional employers are no longer enough for the country’s millions of university graduates. That has made one-person businesses an attractive option for this well-educated demographic.

The latest data showed that the jobless rate for the 16-to-24 age group, excluding students, improved marginally in February, edging down to 16.1 per cent from 16.3 per cent a month earlier.

But not every business is suited to the OPC model. “Manufacturing and agriculture – which need heavy investments – are definitely not suitable for the OPC model,” said Karen Dai, a 38-year-old entrepreneur in Shanghai who leads SoloNest, a networking group for solopreneurs. “Offline businesses requiring heavy assets don’t fit either.”

“A one-person company is not about having an individual member from start to finish,” said Dai. Rather, the OPC model is initially adopted to validate a business, which can then scale up by leveraging its influence and partnerships. In addition, Dai said a small company comprising a core “brainstem” supported by a handful of team members using AI Agents was also feasible.

Additional reporting by Eunice Xu