Meta buys Singapore-based AI agent developer Manus in deal reportedly exceeding $2 billion

Meta Platforms has acquired Manus, a Singapore-headquartered maker of general-purpose artificial intelligence agents, capping a year in which the social media company has accelerated spending and deal-making to strengthen its position in the AI sector.

The transaction was announced Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed, but The Wall Street Journal said sources familiar with the negotiations placed the purchase price above $2 billion. Manus was reportedly in the market for new financing at a $2 billion valuation when Meta approached the company.

Rapidly growing AI agent business

Manus originated in China as part of the start-up Butterfly Effect, also known as Monica.Im, before spinning off and shifting its headquarters to Singapore in June. Earlier this year the firm released its first commercial AI agent, a system capable of handling tasks such as market research, software coding and large-scale data analysis. According to company statements, the product reached an annualized average revenue of more than $100 million within eight months of launch, and its revenue run rate surpassed $125 million.

The start-up said the service processes more than 147 trillion text and data “tokens” and supports upward of 80 million virtual computers. It operates on a freemium model that combines no-cost access with paid subscription tiers, a structure Meta said will remain intact after the acquisition.

Staff integration and continued operations

Meta stated that Manus employees will be absorbed into its existing AI teams, where they will work on integrating the agent technology into consumer and enterprise offerings, including the Meta AI assistant. Despite the change in ownership, the subscription platform will continue without interruption, the companies said.

In a separate release, Manus chief executive Xiao Hong described the deal as a chance “to build on a stronger, more sustainable foundation” while maintaining the start-up’s decision-making autonomy. The company previously announced a strategic partnership in March with the Qwen AI division of Alibaba, highlighting its links to other large technology firms in the region.

Backers and prior funding

Before the sale, Manus had raised $75 million in Series B financing in April. The round was led by U.S. venture capital firm Benchmark and included participation from Tencent and HongShan Capital Group, formerly Sequoia China, according to data compiled by market research firm Tracxn.

Despite attracting prominent investors, Manus laid off most of its Beijing workforce in July, a move that followed the relocation of its headquarters to Singapore as the company sought broader international growth.

Imagem: imagem internet 35

Part of Meta’s broader AI expansion

The Manus acquisition fits a pattern of aggressive investment that Meta has pursued throughout 2025. In June the company committed $14.3 billion to Scale AI, bringing that start-up’s founder and chief executive Alexandr Wang onto Meta’s AI leadership team. Earlier this month Meta bought Limitless, a developer of AI-enabled wearable devices, as part of efforts to establish a hardware ecosystem around its software models.

Meta has also been building its own open-source large language models under the Llama brand and has sought to recruit engineers and researchers from competitors such as OpenAI and Google. Executives have repeatedly said that AI integration across the company’s social, messaging and enterprise platforms is a strategic priority.

Industry reaction and external interest

The capabilities of Manus have attracted attention beyond Meta. In October, Microsoft started testing the firm’s agent technology on Windows 11 PCs, allowing users to generate complete websites directly from local files. Industry observers note that Manus’s technology could complement Meta’s existing efforts to automate tasks for business customers who rely on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp for marketing and customer service.

For Meta, bringing Manus in-house offers experienced staff, a growing revenue stream and an established product that aligns with its goal of embedding advanced automation across its consumer and enterprise ecosystems. The acquisition is expected to accelerate development of new features for Meta’s AI assistant and provide additional tools for businesses that advertise or sell through the company’s platforms.

Neither Meta nor Manus has indicated a timeline for product integration, and regulators have not announced any review of the deal. However, Meta’s pace of investment suggests the company aims to roll out enhanced AI-driven functions to users and corporate clients in the near future.

Crédito da imagem: Gonzalo Fuentes / Reuters