Dec 30 | San Francisco / Singapore — Meta Platforms has agreed to acquire Manus, a Chinese-founded artificial intelligence startup, as the Facebook owner steps up its drive to embed more advanced and autonomous AI capabilities across its products.
Meta confirmed the deal on Monday but did not disclose financial terms. A source familiar with the transaction said the acquisition values Manus at between $2 billion and $3 billion. The company did not immediately comment on the agreement.
FROM VIRAL AI AGENT TO GLOBAL ACQUISITION
Manus attracted widespread attention earlier this year after unveiling what it described as a general-purpose AI agent capable of independently planning and executing tasks with minimal human input — a step beyond traditional chatbots.
The launch triggered a surge of online discussion, with commentators dubbing the company “China’s next DeepSeek.” Chinese state media also praised the technology at the time.
Despite its roots, Manus later relocated its headquarters from China to Singapore, part of a broader trend among Chinese-founded tech firms seeking to reduce exposure to rising geopolitical and regulatory tensions between Washington and Beijing. Its products are not available inside China.
STRATEGIC FIT FOR META’S AI ECOSYSTEM
Meta said it plans to operate and commercialise Manus’ technology, integrating it into both consumer-facing and business tools, including its Meta AI offerings.
Analysts see the acquisition as aligning closely with CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of “agentic AI” — systems that act more like digital assistants capable of managing complex workflows.
“We see a natural fit with Meta’s expanding small-business ecosystem, particularly through WhatsApp,” said Barton Crockett, an analyst at Rosenblatt Securities. “This advances Meta’s ambition to build highly autonomous personal AI tools.”
INVESTORS, PARTNERSHIPS AND SCRUTINY
Manus claims its AI agent outperforms OpenAI’s DeepResearch in certain benchmarks and has entered a strategic collaboration with Alibaba to jointly develop AI models.
The startup is backed by Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology and raised $75 million earlier this year at a valuation of roughly $500 million, according to sources. U.S. venture firm Benchmark led the funding round, with other investors including HSG (formerly Sequoia Capital China), ZhenFund, Tencent, and additional institutional backers.
Industry analysts note the deal is likely to draw regulatory attention in the United States due to Manus’ Chinese origins and the sensitive nature of advanced AI technology.
“Anything involving AI and Chinese roots almost automatically invites scrutiny in Washington,” said Jeremy Goldman, senior director at Emarketer.
META DEEPENS AI BET
The acquisition underscores Meta’s aggressive expansion in artificial intelligence through buyouts, partnerships and talent recruitment. Earlier this year, the company invested heavily in Scale AI, valuing the data-labeling firm at $29 billion and bringing its CEO, Alexandr Wang, into a key strategic role.
As competition intensifies among global tech giants, Meta is positioning itself to play a central role in the next phase of AI — one defined not just by conversation, but by autonomous decision-making.
