Meta Acquires AI Startup Manus in $2 Billion Deal to Bolster Automation Capabilities
Meta has finalized its acquisition of Chinese AI startup Manus for over $2 billion, capping a year of aggressive artificial intelligence investments. The deal positions Manus—originally a product of Butterfly Effect (Monica.Im)—as Meta's execution LAYER for autonomous agent technology.
Manus will continue operating its subscription services uninterrupted, bringing its existing customer base of millions to Meta's ecosystem. The startup had previously claimed its chatbot outperformed OpenAI's DEEP Research agent, achieving $125 million annual run rate within eight months of launch.
The acquisition accelerates Meta's push into enterprise automation, with plans to scale Manus' technology across consumer and business products. While terms remain undisclosed, the price reflects the premium on AI infrastructure as tech giants compete for market position.
