Meta Platforms has acquired Manus, a Singapore-based developer of general-purpose artificial intelligence agents, marking another significant move in the company’s expanding push into AI. The deal was announced on Tuesday, with no official financial terms disclosed.
Manus, which was founded in China before relocating its headquarters to Singapore, launched its first general AI agent earlier this year. The product is designed to carry out complex tasks including market research, coding and data analysis, placing it among a growing group of firms developing advanced AI assistants for business and consumer use.
The start-up said it reached an annualised average revenue of more than $100 million within eight months of launch, with its revenue run rate surpassing $125 million. Meta said the acquisition is intended to speed up AI development for businesses and to integrate automation capabilities across its consumer and enterprise offerings, including the Meta AI assistant.
“Manus is already serving the daily needs of millions of users and businesses worldwide … We plan to scale this service to many more businesses,” Meta said in a statement.
Meta also confirmed it will wind down Manus AI’s remaining operations in China, adding that “there will be no continuing Chinese ownership interests” following the transaction. Both companies said Manus will continue to operate its subscription service without disruption.
Although official deal terms were not shared, the Wall Street Journal reported that the acquisition was completed for more than $2 billion, citing sources familiar with the matter. The report added that Manus had been seeking a new funding round at a $2 billion valuation when discussions with Meta began.
Manus originated from Chinese start-up Butterfly Effect, also known as Monica.Im, before becoming an independent company. It drew attention earlier this year after claiming its chatbot outperformed OpenAI’s Deep Research agent.
In April, the firm raised $75 million in a Series B funding round led by U.S. venture capital firm Benchmark. It is also backed by Tencent and HongShan Capital Group, formerly known as Sequoia, according to Tracxn data. The company reportedly laid off most of its Beijing-based staff in July, following its move to Singapore in June as it pursued global growth.
“Joining Meta allows us to build on a stronger, more sustainable foundation without changing how Manus works or how decisions are made,” Xiao Hong, chief executive of Manus, said in a company release.
The acquisition follows a series of AI-focused deals by Meta this year. In June, the company invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI, bringing founder Alexandr Wang into its AI leadership team. More recently, Meta acquired AI wearables start-up Limitless. Meta said Manus employees will join its teams as it continues to recruit AI talent from start-ups and larger rivals, including OpenAI and Google.
