The quick take
Meta announced on December 29–30, 2025 that it is acquiring Manus, the Singapore‑based startup behind a fast‑growing “general AI agent,” in a deal reported at more than $2 billion. Manus will keep running its subscription service and base in Singapore while Meta integrates the tech across its consumer and business products, including Meta AI. AP, Reuters, WSJ, Bloomberg (arch.), Manus blog.
Why this matters for the AI agent race
Meta has spent much of 2025 shifting from “chatbots” to task‑oriented agents that can plan, browse, code, and deliver work products. Acquiring Manus gives Meta a battle‑tested agent that already sells to paying users, plus a team that’s iterated in the open for months. Meta says Manus will “deliver general‑purpose agents across our consumer and business products, including in Meta AI,” with the service continuing to operate independently from Singapore. AP, Manus blog.
Analysts point to a natural fit with WhatsApp’s massive small‑business footprint, where agentic workflows—think research, scheduling, lead follow‑ups, storefront updates—could be embedded directly in threads. Reuters.
What Meta is actually buying
Manus is one of 2025’s breakout “agentic” platforms. It launched publicly on March 6, 2025 and quickly introduced paid plans and a mobile app, selling credits that the agent consumes as it completes multi‑step tasks. In TechCrunch’s hands‑on, Manus could automate jobs like building simple sites or scraping structured data, though reliability sometimes lagged its marketing. TechCrunch (plans), TechCrunch (teams).
Under the hood, Manus has leaned on best‑in‑class foundation models, notably Anthropic’s Claude and Alibaba’s Qwen, wrapped in a planner/executor architecture that can browse, write, test, and iterate. TechCrunch (teams).
Performance and traction mattered, too. Manus said in mid‑December it surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue roughly eight months after launch—a claim covered by major outlets even as some experts cautioned ARR definitions vary. SCMP, AP.
How this fits Meta’s 2025–26 AI strategy
This is the latest in a series of big AI moves by Meta. In June 2025, the company invested $14.3 billion for a 49% non‑voting stake in Scale AI and brought founder Alexandr Wang in to help lead “superintelligence” efforts—an unusual tie‑up aimed at turning infrastructure spend into product wins. CNBC, Bloomberg.
Manus plugs a complementary gap: agentic execution. Where Meta’s Llama models and Meta AI assistant provide reasoning and reach, Manus adds an end‑to‑end “do the thing” layer—planning steps, browsing, writing files, coding, and handing back completed work. Bringing that into Meta’s distribution (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, Ray‑Ban Meta glasses) could convert billions of casual interactions into completed tasks.
The geopolitics—and Meta’s mitigation steps
This is a rare example of a U.S. tech giant buying a high‑profile platform founded in China. Manus’s parent (Butterfly Effect) started in China, then moved headquarters to Singapore in mid‑2025. The deal immediately raised questions in Washington and Beijing. Meta has emphasized that all Chinese ownership interests are being removed and that Manus will discontinue services and operations in China. Nikkei Asia (arch.), LA Times, TechCrunch.
Regulators have been attentive to Manus for months. In May 2025, U.S. authorities reviewed Benchmark’s $75 million investment into the company given restrictions on U.S. capital in Chinese AI. That scrutiny sets the stage for how this acquisition will be examined. TechCrunch.
The road ahead: impact for users and teams
If Meta executes well, expect to see:
- Agents in your existing workflows. Research briefs, calendar wrangling, lightweight data analysis, site or slide drafts—surfacing inside WhatsApp chats, Facebook groups, or Meta AI. Reuters, AP.
- A dual‑track product. Manus keeps an independent subscription (today’s plans start around $39/month), while Meta integrates core capabilities across free and premium surfaces. TechCrunch, Manus blog.
- Reliability as the competitive frontier. Manus proved the appetite for agents, but third‑party testing has flagged uneven execution. With Meta’s infra and model access, the question is how quickly reliability, transparency, and guardrails improve. TechCrunch.
TipHow to pilot agentic workflows safely
- Start with bounded tasks (research summaries, templated spreadsheets, site scaffolds).
- Keep humans in the loop on approvals and data access.
- Log agent actions and outputs to a shared repo for quick review and rollback.
- Track time saved and error rates; promote use cases that beat your manual baseline.
The fine print: terms and org
- Meta didn’t disclose price; multiple outlets report a value north of $2 billion. WSJ, Bloomberg (arch.).
- Manus will continue subscriptions via its own app/website and operate from Singapore; China operations will cease. AP, Nikkei Asia (arch.).
- The deal reportedly closed quickly (about 10 days from talks to agreement), underscoring competitive urgency around agentic tech. Bloomberg (arch.).
Key context on Manus’s rise
- Launch: March 6, 2025. TechCrunch
- Funding: $75M led by Benchmark at ~$500M valuation (April 25, 2025). Bloomberg, TechCrunch
- Traction: Passed $100M ARR in December 2025 (company claim). SCMP
Key dates in Manus → Meta
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Mar 6, 2025 | Manus public launch |
| Apr 25, 2025 | $75M round led by Benchmark (~$500M valuation) |
| Oct 2025 | “Manus 1.5” release; reliability/performance focus |
| Dec 17–19, 2025 | Company says it crossed $100M ARR; media coverage follows |
| Dec 29–30, 2025 | Meta announces acquisition; reports peg deal at $2B+ |
What to watch next
- Regulatory review and closing timeline, given prior scrutiny of U.S.–China AI capital flows. TechCrunch.
- How quickly Meta ships agentic features in WhatsApp and Meta AI that feel unmistakably “Manus‑like.” Reuters.
- Pricing: whether Manus’s standalone plans evolve once Meta distribution kicks in. TechCrunch.
- Reliability and transparency improvements—especially around tool use, browsing, and code execution.
Sources
- Associated Press: Meta buys startup Manus in latest move to advance its AI efforts
- Reuters: Meta to buy Chinese‑founded startup Manus to boost advanced AI
- The Wall Street Journal: Meta Buys AI Startup Manus, Adding Millions of Paying Users
- Bloomberg (archived): Meta to Acquire Manus in $2B+ Bet on AI Agents
- Nikkei Asia (archived): Meta says Manus will cut China ties after acquisition
- Los Angeles Times: Meta acquires AI startup with Chinese roots for more than $2 billion
- TechCrunch: Manus launches paid subscription plans and a mobile app • Agentic AI platform Manus launches a paid plan for teams • US reviewing Benchmark’s investment in Manus
- South China Morning Post: Manus hits US$100 million revenue milestone
- Manus: Manus Joins Meta for Next Era of Innovation
- CNBC: Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI; Wang joins Meta
