Meta to Acquire Chinese-Founded Startup Manus to Advance AI Capabilities

Meta announced on Monday that it will acquire the Chinese-founded artificial intelligence startup Manus as part of its strategy to accelerate the integration of advanced AI across its platforms. Financial terms were not officially disclosed, but sources familiar with the deal estimate the Singapore-based company’s valuation at $2–3 billion.

Manus has not immediately responded to requests for comment.

The startup gained widespread attention earlier this year after releasing what it claimed to be the world’s first general AI agent, capable of making decisions and executing tasks autonomously with minimal prompting, unlike conventional AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek. The announcement went viral on X and earned recognition from Chinese state media, prompting comparisons to “China’s next DeepSeek.”

Months later, Manus relocated its headquarters from China to Singapore, joining other Chinese companies seeking to mitigate risks amid U.S.-China tensions. Its AI products are not currently available in China. Manus claims that its AI agent outperforms OpenAI’s DeepResearch and maintains a strategic partnership with Alibaba (9988.HK) to collaborate on AI models.

Meta confirmed it will operate and sell Manus’ services while integrating the technology into its existing consumer and business products, including Meta AI.

“We view a natural fit within Meta's fast-growing WhatsApp SMB business, and extensions to the agentic personal AI vision of Meta CEO and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg,” commented Barton Crockett of Rosenblatt Securities.

Tech giants, such as Meta, have been ramping up investment in AI through acquisitions and hiring talent in order to stay ahead in the competition. In early this year, Meta invested in Scale AI, which valued the company at 29 billion dollars, taking on board its 28-year-old CEO, Alexandr Wang.

Manus, which is supported by its parent entity Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology, has this year raised $75 million, valued at about $500 million, according to reports. The startup has backers HSG (previously Sequoia Capital China), ZhenFund, as well as Tencent Holdings (0700.HK), as reported by data provider PitchBook.

This acquisition will enable Meta to further advance its AI technologies and use the innovative technologies available at Manus to enhance its product ecosystem.