Meta has acquired artificial intelligence startup Manus as part of its ongoing strategy to enhance AI offerings across its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
Financial terms were not officially released, but reports indicate Meta paid over $2 billion for Manus, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Driving the news: Manus, headquartered in Singapore with initial Chinese ties, launched its “general-purpose” AI agent earlier in 2024 and offers paid subscriptions for tasks such as research and coding.
- Meta announced Manus is already serving millions of users and businesses worldwide and will further expand its agent services across Meta’s consumer and business products, including Meta AI.
The big picture: Manus CEO Xiao Hong said joining Meta provides a stronger foundation for growth without changing how the company operates or makes decisions.
- Post-acquisition, Manus will continue selling and operating subscriptions via its own app and website.
Zoom in: The company has shown rapid growth, reaching over $100 million in annual recurring revenue within eight months of launching.
- Most Manus employees are based in Singapore, where the platform will continue to operate.
- Manus was initially backed by investors including Tencent Holdings, ZhenFund, and HSG, and was first launched as part of Butterfly Effect (also known as monica.im) in China before relocating to Singapore.
- Meta confirmed that, after the transaction, there will be no continuing Chinese ownership interests in Manus AI and the platform will discontinue operations in China.
