Meta has agreed to acquire Manus, a fast-rising AI startup originally founded in China and now headquartered in Singapore, marking one of the company’s most notable moves in autonomous agent technology. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed, though sources familiar with the deal placed Manus’ valuation at roughly two to three billion dollars. The acquisition signals Meta’s intent to accelerate agentic AI development and expand the technology across its consumer and enterprise platforms.
A Strategic Step in Meta’s AI Roadmap
The purchase follows Meta’s broader strategy to scale artificial intelligence through both internal development and external acquisitions. Earlier this year, Meta invested in Scale AI at a valuation of twenty nine billion dollars, a move that also brought Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang into closer orbit with the company. Securing Manus adds another critical piece to Meta’s mission to embed AI deeply across products such as Meta AI, WhatsApp, and its business tools.
Manus and Its Rise in the AI Industry
Manus gained global attention after unveiling what it called the world’s first general-purpose AI agent capable of autonomous decision-making with minimal user prompting. The technology was positioned as a step beyond traditional chatbots by executing research, coding, and workflow automation with end-to-end outcome delivery. The announcement sparked comparisons to DeepSeek and even appeared on Chinese state media before the company relocated to Singapore amid geopolitical tension.
Technology Capabilities and Market Reception
The startup claims that its agent outperforms solutions like OpenAI’s DeepResearch and enables users to run fully automated computational tasks. According to company statements, Manus’ platform has processed more than 147 trillion tokens and generated over 80 million virtual computers since launch. The platform is already used by millions globally, though Manus has not made its products available in mainland China.
Deal Structure and Operational Future
Meta confirmed it will continue operating and selling the Manus service independently while gradually integrating its capabilities into Meta AI and other business offerings. The Manus team will join Meta’s AI group and collaborate on deploying general-purpose agent systems at scale. The company will remain headquartered in Singapore and keep its subscription service active for existing customers.
Industry Impact and Competitive Landscape
The acquisition arrives at a time when major technology companies are racing to deploy AI agents as the next competitive frontier. Analysts believe Manus aligns with Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for personal AI and complements WhatsApp’s fast growing small and medium business ecosystem. Rosenblatt Securities analyst Barton Crockett described the pairing as a natural fit for Meta’s expansion into agent driven user experiences.
Startup Funding and Investor Backing
Before the acquisition, Manus raised seventy-five million dollars at an approximate valuation of five hundred million dollars in a round led by Benchmark. Additional investors include HSG, ZhenFund, and Tencent, signaling strong early confidence from major Asia-focused firms. Manus’ parent company, Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology, supported the company as it navigated rapid growth and global demand.
Statements From Leadership
In a company announcement, Manus CEO Xiao Hong said joining Meta will allow Manus to scale on a stronger foundation without altering the way decisions are made internally. He stressed that product development will continue and that the team remains committed to serving its early user base. Meta echoed this sentiment, saying the goal is to bring Manus’ capabilities to billions of people and unlock meaningful business applications.
Meta’s acquisition of Manus represents a significant step in the ongoing AI arms race, positioning the social media giant to expand beyond language models into fully automated intelligent agents. With Manus’ technology and team now integrated into Meta’s roadmap, the industry will watch closely to see how agentic AI changes enterprise workflows and consumer experiences. The deal underscores Meta’s ambition to lead in advanced AI and reinforces the growing belief that autonomous agents could define the next era of computing.