Meta is set to acquire Chinese-founded artificial intelligence startup Manus, as the technology giant intensifies its push to embed advanced AI capabilities across its consumer and business platforms.
According to Reuters, sources familiar with the deal estimated its value at between $2 billion and $3 billion, although official financial terms were not disclosed.
The acquisition underscores Meta’s growing focus on scalable, revenue-generating AI products amid intensifying global competition in artificial intelligence.
Manus, which is now headquartered in Singapore, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the transaction.
The AI startup
Manus rose to prominence earlier this year after going viral on X (formerly Twitter) with the launch of what it described as the world’s first general AI agent.
Unlike traditional chatbots, the company claimed its AI agent could autonomously make decisions and execute tasks with minimal user prompting.
The startup was once dubbed “China’s next DeepSeek” and has attracted interest from Chinese authorities, as well as major technology players.
Manus has also said its AI agent outperforms OpenAI’s DeepResearch in certain tasks and maintains a strategic partnership with Alibaba to collaborate on AI model development.
Meta’s integration plans
Meta said it will operate and commercialise Manus’ services, while integrating the AI agent into its broader ecosystem, including Meta AI and other consumer and enterprise products.
- The company plans to keep Manus running independently even as its technology is woven into Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, where Meta AI is already available to users.
- For Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has staked the company’s long-term strategy on artificial intelligence, the acquisition represents a notable shift toward AI platforms with proven revenue traction.
- Manus recently disclosed that it has signed up millions of users and surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue, making it one of the few AI startups with significant commercial scale.
Industry analysts say this revenue profile likely played a key role in Meta’s decision to acquire the company at a multibillion-dollar valuation.
The startup is backed by its parent company, Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology, and raised $75 million earlier this year at a valuation of about $500 million.
The funding round was led by U.S. venture capital firm Benchmark, with participation from HSG (formerly Sequoia Capital China), ZhenFund, and Tencent Holdings, according to PitchBook data.
What you should know
Meta’s move follows a series of aggressive AI investments by the Facebook owner.
Earlier this year, Meta invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI in a deal that valued the data-labeling company at $29 billion and brought its 28-year-old CEO, Alexandr Wang, into Meta’s orbit.
In June this year, Nairametrics reported that it was in advanced talks with major private capital firms to raise as much as $29 billion to finance its aggressive expansion into artificial intelligence infrastructure.
At the time, Meta was engaging leading private credit investors such as Apollo Global Management, KKR, Brookfield, Carlyle, and Pimco.
