- Meta has acquired AI startup Manus in a deal reported to be worth more than $2 billion.
- Manus creates autonomous artificial intelligence agents that perform complex tasks such as coding and data analysis.
- The acquisition accelerates Meta's transition from chatbot tools to artificial intelligence for task execution across all platforms.
Meta acquired an AI startup Manusknown for its semi-autonomous artificial intelligence agents, in a deal worth more than $2 billion. according to To Wall Street Journal. This is one of the largest acquisitions in the AI industry to date. More importantly, it highlights Meta's plan to move from building fundamental models like Llama to providing full-service AI agents capable of performing complex tasks for individuals and businesses.
Meta said it plans to make the AI agent platform part of its Meta Assistant AI and corporate offers. Manus agents can perform complex analytics, long-term research and planning, as well as routine conversation and image creation. It can also access the Internet and perform tasks for users, which is why it is called Manus, which means “hand” in Latin.
“We will continue to operate and sell the Manus service and integrate it into our products,” Meta said in a statement. “Manus already serves the daily needs of millions of users and businesses around the world. Earlier this year, it launched its first universal AI agent and has already served over 147 thousand tokens and created over 80 million virtual computers. We plan to scale this service to many more businesses.”
The reported estimate is consistent with where Manus was headed prior to the Meta's intervention. The company was raising new funds with a valuation of $2 billion when Meta approached it with an offer. With over $125 million in revenue just eight months after launch, Manus has proven not only its technical capabilities, but also its commercial appeal.
But this is not just a story of expensive technology buybacks. This marks a turn in Meta's direction, one that deepens its commitment to creating artificial intelligence that does more than just chat. In fact, Manus was not just another chatbot; it was one of the first widely available agent systems capable of autonomously performing multi-step, goal-directed tasks using a combination of reasoning, memory, and tool use. Users can, for example, give Manus a research goal or programming task and watch him coordinate the solution from start to finish. This is a radically different category of product than those that are trained solely to predict the next word.
The future of the AI agent
Meta wants to create a functioning AI. For the same reason Meta invested $14.3 billion at Scale AI earlier this year. But a working autonomous AI platform goes several steps further. The company's pricing model, a mix of free and premium subscriptions, has helped it grow rapidly, especially among developers, analysts, and SMBs looking to automate workflows without hiring engineers.
And while Meta is investing in building its own LLM programs, developing effective agency behavior remains a very specific engineering and design challenge. Tools such as planning, memory, tool use, and recursive reasoning cannot simply be attached to a large model, and Manus has already solved many of these problems.
“Joining Meta will allow us to build on a stronger and more sustainable foundation without changing how Manus operates or how decisions are made,” Manus CEO Xiao Hong said in a statement. “We are excited about what the future holds for Meta and Manus together, and we will continue to improve the product and serve the users who have defined Manus from the beginning.”
Meta aims to create artificial intelligence agents in a highly competitive environment. GoogleOpenAI's Gemini is actively developing agent functionality, and OpenAI's ChatGPT has introduced tools to perform tasks online and provide additional assistance that adapts to context. But Manus promises to make it easier to integrate its services with other platforms. This has attracted interest from companies such as Microsoftwho tested the integration of Manus into Windows 11.
Since the Meta owns everything, what happens next is as much a matter of strategy as it is technology.
Manus's origins add even more complexity. Originally developed by Chinese artificial intelligence startup Butterfly Effect and then spun off, concerns over data security likely contributed to its move from Beijing to Singapore this year and layoffs of much of the Chinese workforce. According to the companies, the Meta acquisition even comes with the express condition that “there will be no further Chinese ownership interests.”
Meta has had to walk a fine line in the global AI race as it bypasses regulatory scrutiny. Manus allows him to move forward with product development, but he will likely have at least some probing questions about who owns the data used to run Manus. In 2026, no major American tech company can afford to look like it has Chinese influence, just ask TikTok.
Then there's the hardware aspect. Meta Reality Labs doesn't make a lot of money, but Meta still sees the future in smart glasses and agent-based AI assistants that interact with the physical world. Manus could provide the cognitive layer for these ambitions.
This acquisition makes it clear that Meta sees 2026 as the time when AI chatbots will become AI agents. With Manus supporting its AI platforms, Meta plans to become the tool of first resort when it comes to AI interacting with the real world.
Follow TechRadar on Google News. And add us as your preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the “Subscribe” button!
And of course you can also Follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxing videos and get regular updates from us on whatsapp too much.
