News
Key Takeaways
- Meta bought Manus in a deal reportedly topping $2 billion to bring its large-scale autonomous agent tech into Meta AI and other platforms.
- Manus will keep operating independently in Singapore and continue its subscription service without organizational changes.
- China opened a regulatory review into the deal, scrutinizing data transfer, technology export and compliance risks.
Meta is making one of its most ambitious plays yet in the race to build autonomous AI agents, announcing that Singapore-based Manus will join the company to accelerate general-purpose agent capabilities across billions of users. However, the acquisition has already drawn regulatory scrutiny from China, a move that could mean a tightening of global oversight for AI deals.
Table of Contents
- Meta Bets Big on Agentic AI
- Manus Will Remain Operational and Customer-Facing
- Why Meta Wants Manus: An Execution Layer for AI Agents
- China Announces Investigation Into the Deal
- What Comes Next for Meta and Manus
Meta Bets Big on Agentic AI
Meta confirmed it will acquire Manus, an AI startup known for its advanced autonomous general-purpose agents. While official terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, the Wall Street Journal reported the deal closed at more than $2 billion.
The Manus agent can independently execute complex workflows — including market research, code generation, data analysis and multistep automation — tasks many AI systems still struggle to complete reliably.
Manus is not a niche player. The company claims its agent has already:
- Processed 147 trillion tokens
- Created over 80 million virtual computers
- Served millions of users and businesses globally
These metrics place Manus among the most scaled autonomous agent deployments in the industry. Meta plans to integrate Manus technology across its consumer and enterprise offerings, including Meta AI, while continuing to operate the Manus subscription service independently.
Related Article: Reimagining Traditional Workflows With AI Agents
Manus Will Remain Operational and Customer-Facing
Despite the acquisition, Manus emphasized that customers should not expect disruption.
The company states it will:
- Keep operating from Singapore
- Continue selling and supporting its subscription service
- Maintain its existing decision-making structure
“Joining Meta allows us to build on a stronger, more sustainable foundation without changing how Manus works or how decisions are made,” said Xiao Hong, CEO of Manus. “We’re excited about what the future holds with Meta and Manus working together and we will continue to iterate the product and serve users that have defined Manus from the beginning.”
Meta’s goal, according to internal statements, is to scale Manus’s execution-focused AI architecture across billions of people and expand availability to millions of businesses on Meta’s platforms.
Why Meta Wants Manus: An Execution Layer for AI Agents
Manus positions itself as the execution layer for advanced AI, turning large-model reasoning into coordinated, end-to-end task completion, a capability that major AI labs have been racing to commercialize.
| Core Manus Feature | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Autonomous task execution | Moves AI from “assistant” to “agent,” completing work without step-by-step human input |
| Virtual computer generation | Supports complex coding and data workflows in isolated environments |
| Massive scale (147T tokens processed) | Demonstrates high reliability and production readiness |
| General-purpose architecture | Can be embedded into consumer products, enterprise systems or developer APIs |
Autonomous agents are widely expected to become the next major wave of AI, potentially replacing task-based software in areas like research, analytics, operations and engineering.
China Announces Investigation Into the Deal
Hours after Meta’s announcement, China’s Ministry of Commerce said it will assess and investigate the acquisition. Ministry spokesperson He Yadong stressed that any companies engaged in foreign investment, technology exports or data transfers must comply with Chinese regulations.
He added that authorities will work with relevant departments to conduct an assessment and investigation into the consistency of this acquisition with laws and regulations.
Why China’s Review Matters
China increasingly views AI technology — especially agentic and autonomous systems — as strategically sensitive. The review could focus on:
- Technology export controls
- Cross-border data transfer risks
- Impact on Chinese businesses using Manus
- Meta’s expanding influence in global AI markets
Regulators in both the United States and China have been tightening oversight of AI-related acquisitions, citing national security and data governance concerns. Similar reviews have delayed or altered recent tech acquisitions in semiconductors, cloud computing and AI infrastructure.
Related Article: Why the US and China Are Betting on Different AI Futures
What Comes Next for Meta and Manus
Meta stands to gain a powerful new foundation for deploying agentic AI across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Meta AI, potentially introducing autonomous research, productivity and automation tools to billions of users.
But the Chinese investigation introduces uncertainty on:
- Whether Manus’s technology can be freely transferred
- How cross-border compliance obligations will be structured
- Whether delays could impact Meta’s integration roadmap
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Still, both companies indicate clear confidence. Manus says its mission — delivering scalable, reliable autonomous agents for real-world work — remains unchanged. Meta, meanwhile, is deepening its strategy to catch up with leading AI players in the agent platform race.
If the acquisition proceeds without major limitations, it could become one of the most consequential deals in the emerging AI agent economy.
