Meta is stepping up its AI ambitions with the acquisition of Manus, a fast-rising AI startup originally founded in China and now headquartered in Singapore. The move reflects Meta’s strategy to embed more advanced, autonomous AI across its consumer and enterprise platforms — positioning the company more aggressively against rival ecosystem players.
While Meta did not disclose financial terms, reports suggest the deal values Manus at between US$2 billion and US$3 billion, marking a major leap from the startup’s previous US$500 million valuation earlier this year.
Building the “next generation” AI agent
Manus rose to prominence after unveiling what it described as the world’s first general AI agent — capable of executing tasks and decision-making with minimal prompting, moving beyond traditional chatbot interactions such as ChatGPT or DeepSeek. The launch generated viral attention on X, and even received recognition from Chinese state media.
The company later shifted its headquarters from mainland China to Singapore, reflecting a broader trend of AI startups seeking operational neutrality amid increasing U.S.–China geopolitical tension. Manus does not currently offer its products in mainland China.
Manus says its AI agent surpasses the performance of OpenAI’s DeepResearch, and the company already works closely with Alibaba under an AI model collaboration partnership.
Meta plans deep integration
Meta plans to operate and commercialise Manus’ platform while embedding its technology into Meta AI and its broader product ecosystem. This acquisition follows a series of AI-focused investments and partnerships designed to enhance Meta’s competitive edge in large-scale AI deployment.
Earlier this year, Meta also invested in Scale AI, valuing the company at US$29 billion and strengthening ties with CEO Alexandr Wang — a leading figure in enterprise AI data infrastructure.
A rapid rise backed by top-tier investors
Before the acquisition agreement, Manus had raised US$75 million led by Benchmark, alongside investors including HSG (formerly Sequoia Capital China), ZhenFund, and Tencent, according to PitchBook data. Manus remains backed by parent company Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology.
With Manus now set to become part of Meta’s AI stack, the move highlights how big-tech platforms are moving toward autonomous AI agents — not just conversational assistants — as the next frontier of enterprise and consumer AI.