Meta’s agreed purchase of AI agent startup Manus for more than $2 billion reads like a late‑cycle plot twist: the social media giant that rebranded around the metaverse is now buying an AI “do‑it‑for‑you” brain to justify all that spending. In Wall Street terms, Meta is essentially acquiring a revenue‑generating conscience for its AI ambitions—and paying well over unicorn rates to get it.
A Deal Done at AI Speed
Meta Platforms has struck a deal to acquire Manus, a Singapore‑based AI agent company with Chinese roots, in a transaction valued at more than $2 billion. People familiar with the matter say the agreement came together in roughly ten days, which, even by Silicon Valley standards, suggests the due‑diligence phase was more sprint than marathon.
Manus emerged from Beijing‑based Butterfly Effect Technology before re‑domiciling to Singapore and building a “general‑purpose” AI agent that quickly caught global attention. Its system has been pitched as a step beyond chatbots, capable of learning workflows, automating multi‑step tasks, and making decisions with minimal human supervision.
Why Meta Needed an Agent
For Meta, the acquisition plugs a conspicuous gap between massive AI spending and the rather prosaic experience of chatting with a friendly bot inside Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp. Manus gives Meta a commercially tested agent that can handle research, coding, sales analysis, and even website cloning for paying customers—a far more practical story to tell investors than yet another large language model acronym.
The startup has reported more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue just eight months after launch, with a revenue run rate above $125 million when usage‑based fees are included. That makes Meta’s price tag rich but not entirely fanciful in an environment where AI growth curves are treated less like forecasts and more like wishes granted.
Operating Manual for Manus
Meta plans to continue operating and selling Manus as a stand‑alone subscription service while gradually threading its technology through Meta AI, WhatsApp, and business productivity tools. The company says Manus’s agents will ultimately serve “general‑purpose” roles across consumer and enterprise products, suggesting everything from automated research for creators to back‑office workflow bots for small businesses.
Manus’s CEO Xiao Hong has reassured customers that the platform’s functionality and decision‑making processes will remain intact, promising a “stronger, more sustainable foundation” under Meta’s ownership—a phrase that, in corporate translation, usually means more servers and fewer cash‑flow worries. All existing Manus investors, including Chinese backers such as Tencent and ZhenFund, are being bought out as part of the deal.
Politics, Profits, and a Rare East‑West Buy
The transaction stands out as a rare example of a major U.S. tech company acquiring an Asian AI firm at scale, and it lands squarely in the crosshairs of Washington’s growing scrutiny of Chinese‑linked technology. Regulators are expected to probe how a Chinese‑founded agent platform with millions of users and deep workflow access fits into Western data‑security expectations, even if the headquarters now sit in Singapore.
On Wall Street, however, the early verdict is simpler: Meta shares edged higher after the deal as investors bet that AI agents—unlike some metaverse hardware—might actually pay their own way. If Manus’s autonomous software can help turn Meta’s AI from an expense line into a profit center, $2 billion may eventually look less like exuberance and more like an unusually well‑timed line item.
The Sources
[1] Meta to Buy Manus, an AI Startup With Chinese Roots https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-acquire-manus-2-billion-101807601.html
[2] Meta Agrees to Buy AI Agent Manus in $2B-Plus Deal https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-agrees-buy-ai-agent-115137614.html
[3] Meta Platforms Just Plugged a Gaping $2 Billion Hole In its AI Plans https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-platforms-just-plugged-gaping-164326724.html
[4] Meta acquires AI agent startup Manus in ‘potentially transformative … https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-acquires-manus-expand-ai-233016223.html
[5] Meta to Buy Manus, an AI Startup With Chinese Roots – Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-29/meta-acquires-startup-manus-to-bolster-ai-business
[6] Meta acquires AI agent startup Manus in ‘potentially transformative … https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/meta-acquires-manus-to-expand-ai-agent-capabilities-4424780
[7] Meta to Acquire Chinese AI Startup Manus in $2 Billion Deal https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-acquire-chinese-ai-startup-134305013.html
[8] Meta acquires intelligent agent firm Manus, capping year of … – CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/30/meta-acquires-singapore-ai-agent-firm-manus-china-butterfly-effect-monicai.html
[9] Meta buys startup known for its AI task automation agents – Engadget https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-buys-startup-known-for-its-ai-task-automation-agents-140045275.html
[10] Meta buys startup Manus in latest move to advance its artificial intelligence efforts https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-buys-startup-manus-latest-160203104.html
[11] Meta buys startup Manus in latest move to advance its AI efforts https://abc11.com/post/meta-buys-startup-manus-latest-move-advance-artificial-intelligence-efforts/18333425/
[12] Manus Joins Meta for Next Era of Innovation https://manus.im/blog/manus-joins-meta-for-next-era-of-innovation
[13] Meta to buy Chinese founded startup Manus to boost advanced AI https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-acquire-chinese-startup-manus-233905821.html
[14] Meta Stock Is Climbing — Big Bet on AI Agents with $2 Billion Acquisition https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-stock-climbing-big-bet-170606713.html
[15] Meta to acquire AI agent company Manus https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-acquire-ai-agent-company-120839836.html
[16] Meta to acquire Manus in $2B deal, metal commodities rebound https://finance.yahoo.com/video/meta-acquire-manus-2b-deal-163000951.html
[17] Manus Meta https://www.manus-meta.com
[18] ManusVR Adds Arm Tracking Capabilities To Upcoming SDK https://www.uploadvr.com/manusvr-adds-arm-tracking-to-gloves/
[19] Meta to acquire AI startup Manus: There’s an ‘arms race’ in AI https://finance.yahoo.com/video/meta-acquire-ai-startup-manus-143618638.html
[20] VR Gloves for Training, Simulation & XR Applications – Manus Meta https://www.manus-meta.com/vr-xr
