Meta acquires AI agent firm Manus in latest push into automation

Meta Platforms has acquired Manus, a Singapore-based developer of general-purpose artificial intelligence agents, as the company continues to expand its investments in AI technology.

Meta said the acquisition is intended to boost automation across its consumer and business products, including its Meta AI assistant. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Manus, which was founded in China before relocating its headquarters to Singapore, launched its first general AI agent earlier this year. The product is designed to perform complex tasks such as market research, coding, and data analysis.

The company said it reached more than $100 million in annualised revenue within eight months of launch, with its revenue run rate exceeding $125 million.

Meta said Manus will continue operating its subscription-based service without disruption following the acquisition.

“Manus is already serving millions of users and businesses worldwide, and we plan to scale this service further,” Meta said in a statement.

Manus originated from Chinese start-up Butterfly Effect, also known as Monica.im, before becoming a separate entity. Earlier this year, the company gained attention after claiming its AI chatbot outperformed competing research tools.

In April, Manus raised $75 million in a Series B funding round led by US venture capital firm Benchmark. It is also backed by Tencent and HongShan Capital Group, according to market data provider Tracxn.

The company shifted its operations away from Beijing earlier this year as part of its global expansion strategy. Manus has also partnered with Alibaba’s Qwen AI team and has existing ties with Chinese technology firms.

Meta said employees from Manus will join its teams as part of the acquisition.

The deal is the latest in Meta’s aggressive AI expansion. The company has been acquiring and investing in specialised AI firms to strengthen its capabilities, including its open-source Llama language models.

Earlier this year, Meta invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI and acquired AI-wearables start-up Limitless. Manus technology has also drawn interest from major tech firms, with Microsoft previously testing its tools on Windows 11 devices.