Meta acquires AI agent-dev Manus in the continued AI expansion

Meta Platforms (META) said Tuesday it has acquired Manus, a Singapore-based developer of general-purpose AI agents. The move extends Meta’s push to expand automation across consumer and business products.

Manus was founded in China before relocating to Singapore. It launched its first general AI agent earlier this year, offering tools that perform market research, software coding, and data analysis.

The company said it reached annualized average revenue above $100 million within eight months of launch. It added that its revenue run rate exceeded $125 million.

Meta said the acquisition will accelerate AI innovation for businesses and support deeper integration of automation into its consumer and enterprise offerings, including the Meta AI assistant. The company said Manus serves millions of users and businesses worldwide and will be scaled further.

Manus will continue operating its subscription service without disruption, according to both companies. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The Wall Street Journal reported the deal exceeded $2 billion, citing people familiar with the matter. The report said Manus had been seeking new funding at a $2 billion valuation when discussions began.

Manus originated from Chinese start-up Butterfly Effect, also known as Monica.Im, before becoming a separate company. It gained attention earlier this year after claiming stronger performance than OpenAI’s Deep Research agent.

The company raised $75 million in a Series B round in April led by Benchmark. Investors include Tencent and HongShan Capital Group, according to Tracxn.

Manus laid off most of its Beijing staff in July and moved its headquarters to Singapore in June as it pursued global expansion. It also announced a strategic partnership in March with Alibaba Qwen AI team.

Meta said Manus employees will join its internal teams. The acquisition follows recent AI-focused deals, including a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI and the purchase of AI wearables start-up Limitless.

Manus tools have been tested by major technology firms. Microsoft began testing Manus on Windows 11 PCs in October.

Meta continues to recruit AI talent amid competition with rivals such as OpenAI and Google.