Meta Acquires AI Startup Manus in Major Cross-Border Deal, Aims to Bring “Virtual Colleague” to Billions

In a significant and politically notable deal, tech giant Meta announced its acquisition of the artificial intelligence startup Manus.

The move crosses the strained U.S.-China tech divide, as Manus was founded in China in 2022 before relocating its headquarters to Singapore earlier this year.

The core of the acquisition is Manus’s self-directing AI agent, which the company bills as a “virtual colleague” capable of autonomously “planning, executing, and delivering complete work products from start to finish.” Meta stated the purchase will bring one of the “leading autonomous general-purpose agents” to its billions of global users.

“Manus’s exceptional talent will join Meta’s team to deliver general-purpose agents across our consumer and business products, including in Meta AI,” the parent company of Facebook and Instagram said in a statement.

“We’re excited to help improve the lives of billions of people and millions of businesses with their technology.”

Manus Founder and CEO Xiao Hong framed the deal as a validation of his startup’s ambitious vision. “We were told it was too early, too ambitious, too hard. But we kept building. Through the doubts, the setbacks, and the countless nights wondering if we were chasing the impossible. We weren’t,” Xiao posted on social media.

“The era of AI that doesn’t just talk, but acts, creates, and delivers, is only beginning. And now, we get to build it at a scale we never could have imagined.”

The startup, which claims to have created over 80 million virtual computers, generated intense buzz upon its launch in March, drawing comparisons to the hype around China’s DeepSeek. While tech analysts offer mixed reviews on its capabilities—which range from creating travel itineraries to stock analysis—its commercial traction is notable. Manus recently announced its annual recurring revenue surpassed $100 million, calling itself the fastest startup in history to hit that milestone.

The acquisition signals Meta’s aggressive push to lead in the next phase of AI: autonomous agents that execute complex tasks, potentially transforming both consumer and business productivity on its platforms.