Meta Makes Major AI Play with Reported 2 Billion Dollar Acquisition of Manus In a move signaling its aggressive push into the artificial intelligence agent space, Meta has reportedly acquired the AI startup Manus. According to The Wall Street Journal, the deal is valued at over 2 billion dollars, marking it as one of the largest acquisitions to emerge from China’s AI startup ecosystem. Manus, which launched in March of this year, quickly gained attention for its sophisticated AI agents capable of automating complex tasks. Unlike chatbots that merely generate text, Manus positions its technology as a general AI agent that can execute multi-step processes autonomously. The platform leverages several powerful third-party large language models, including Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet and versions of Alibaba’s Qwen, to power its operations. The startup’s core offering focuses on automating business and research functions. Its agents are designed to handle tasks such as in-depth market research, coding, sales data analysis, and even cloning and creating websites. This practical application has driven significant user growth. The company claims that within just eight months of launch, Manus is serving millions of users and businesses and has achieved an annualized average revenue exceeding 100 million dollars. However, its rapid rise has not been without skepticism. Some critics have suggested the product’s viral success was particularly optimized for influencers and content creators, which fueled its explosive adoption on social media platforms. Prior to the acquisition, Manus had been taking steps to position itself as a global entity. This past summer, the company laid off most of its Beijing-based staff and relocated its headquarters to Singapore. Reports indicate that Manus was in the process of seeking a funding round that would have valued the company at 2 billion dollars when Meta initiated acquisition talks. In a statement regarding the deal, Manus CEO Xiao Hong framed the acquisition as a strategic move to ensure long-term growth. Hong stated that joining Meta provides a stronger and more sustainable foundation for the company while allowing it to maintain its operational independence and decision-making processes. For Meta, this acquisition represents a significant investment in the future of AI-driven task automation. It brings onboard a product with a proven, revenue-generating user base and advanced agent technology that could be integrated across Meta’s suite of business and consumer products. The deal also underscores the intense competition among tech giants to secure leading positions in the next wave of AI development, moving beyond conversational chatbots to truly autonomous digital assistants.
