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Meta has bought Chinese-founded artificial intelligence start-up Manus, as Mark Zuckerberg pours billions of dollars into the fast-developing technology in an effort to compete with OpenAI and Google.
In a statement on Monday, Meta said that it planned to “operate and sell the Manus service” while integrating its technology into its own products, such as its Meta AI chatbot. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The start-up is one of the “leading autonomous general-purpose agents” and its tools can perform tasks that include “market research, coding and data analysis”, Meta said. Businesses can purchase subscriptions to its agents for as little as $20 a month.
The news comes as the Meta chief executive is racing to develop what he dubs “personal superintelligence”, investing in AI infrastructure and hiring top researchers while scooping up several smaller AI start-ups.
The purchase of Manus, which has around 100 staff globally, could raise hackles in Washington and Beijing at a time when the AI race has become a flashpoint in China-US relations.
Once hailed as the next DeepSeek, China’s answer to OpenAI, Manus’ parent company Butterfly Effect this year raised $75mn at a valuation of almost $500mn. US venture firm Benchmark led the funding round.
Benchmark and its partners came under fire from China hawks in Washington, who argued that the deal flouted rules banning American groups from investing in Chinese AI. Manus, meanwhile, relocated to Singapore, prompting some Chinese media to label the company “defectors”.
AI entrepreneur Alexandr Wang, hired by Zuckerberg this summer to lead Meta’s AI efforts, said on X that Meta was also recruiting in Singapore more widely.
Zuckerberg is facing increasing pressure to justify his gargantuan AI spending and find ways to monetise the technology with consumers or enterprises, including the millions of businesses that use the platform for advertising.
The company has been exploring trialling premium subscriptions for its AI assistant Meta AI, for tasks such as booking reservations and video creation, according to people familiar with the matter.
“Joining Meta allows us to build on a stronger, more sustainable foundation without changing how Manus works or how decisions are made,” said Xiao Hong, chief executive of Manus, in a statement.
