Meta announced the acquisition of Manus AI Platform. With this acquisition, Meta aims to accelerate the pace at which advanced artificial intelligence is integrated into its services.
Manus is based in Singapore and attracted a lot of attention in Silicon Valley this spring with a demonstration of an AI agent that independently performs various tasks. These include candidate selection, travel planning and investment portfolio analysis. According to TechCrunchManus claimed that his technology outperforms OpenAI’s Deep Research.
The acquisition fits into Meta Platforms’ broader AI strategy, which is heavily focused on AI as a growth engine. Financial details have not been officially disclosed, but according to sources familiar with the deal, Meta will pay approximately $2 billion for Manus, an amount that matches the valuation the company was seeking for its next investment round. Earlier, Reuters The news agency reported a valuation of between $2 billion and $3 billion.
In April, Manus raised $75 million in a funding round led by Benchmark, valuing the company at around $500 million. Shortly before, Tencent, ZhenFund and HSG, formerly Sequoia Capital China, among others, had already invested in a previous round.
It is striking that Manus has already achieved significant commercial growth as a young company. According to TechCrunch, the platform now has millions of users and has generated over $100 million in annual recurring revenue. This sets Manus apart from many other AI startups that are still looking for a sustainable revenue model.
Gradual integration of AI agents
Meta said Manus would continue to operate independently for now, while the AI agents would gradually be integrated into products such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, where Meta AI is already available. For Meta, Manus is not only a technology asset, but also a rare example of an AI product that demonstrably generates revenue, which is relevant given the tens of billions of dollars the company is investing in AI infrastructure.
The acquisition also has a geopolitical dimension. The founders of Manus are of Chinese origin and founded parent company Butterfly Effect in Beijing in 2022. The company only moved to Singapore this year. This led to political questions in the United States. Senator John Cornyn of Texas had previously criticized US investments in Chinese AI companies and warned of possible strategic risks.
Meta told Nikkei Asia that these concerns would be addressed through clear measures after the acquisition. According to the company, no Chinese investors will remain involved in Manus and all operations in China will end. In doing so, Meta aims to remove any regulatory and national security obstacles.