In a significant move to bolster its artificial intelligence capabilities, social media behemoth Meta has acquired Singapore-based AI agent startup Manus for an undisclosed sum. The deal, announced on Monday, December 29, 2025, marks another aggressive step by Meta in its quest to close the gap with AI frontrunners like Google and OpenAI.
Meta's AI Talent and Capability Grab
The acquisition of Manus fits squarely into Meta's broader strategy of leveraging its vast financial resources to acquire top talent and advanced technology. This move is a direct part of the company's intense push in the global AI arms race. Earlier in December 2025, Meta had also acquired AI-wearables startup Limitless, known for its AI-powered pendant.
However, the company's most substantial bet this year was a massive $14.3 billion investment in data labelling firm Scale AI in June. As part of that deal, Meta hired Scale AI's founder, Alexandr Wang, and other employees to join its newly formed Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). This separate unit is tasked with realising CEO Mark Zuckerberg's vision of creating 'personal superintelligence'—AI systems designed to eventually surpass human capabilities.
Who is Manus and What Does It Bring to Meta?
Manus represents the new wave of AI startups that emerged following the success of China's DeepSeek. Originally founded in China as Butterfly Effect (also known as Monica.Im), the company later spun off and relocated its base to Singapore. Amid rising US-China geopolitical tensions in July 2025, it shifted operations to Singapore, Tokyo, and San Mateo, California, and no longer offers its products in China.
The startup gained attention for its general-purpose AI agent—an LLM-powered system that can autonomously navigate the web and complete complex tasks like market research, coding, and data analysis based on user prompts. Manus claims to have processed over 147 trillion tokens of text and data and currently runs more than 80 million cloud-based virtual computers on its infrastructure.
In a statement, Meta said the acquisition aims to "accelerate AI innovation for businesses" and integrate advanced automation into its consumer and enterprise products, including the Meta AI assistant. Manus CEO Xiao Hong stated that joining Meta provides a "stronger, more sustainable foundation" without altering how the startup operates. Paid customers will see no disruption to Manus's subscription service, and its employees will be integrated into Meta's teams.
The Road Ahead for Meta's AI Ambitions
This acquisition highlights the ongoing trend of 'acqui-hires' in the tech industry, where giants like Meta snap up innovative startups primarily for their talent and intellectual property. Unlike the full-scale takeover of Manus and Limitless, the Scale AI deal was a strategic investment and talent hire to fuel the MSL unit.
Manus had already made waves by claiming its 'Wide Research' tool outperformed OpenAI's 'DeepResearch' and by developing its own AI video generator. It had also formed a strategic partnership with Alibaba's Qwen AI in March 2025 and raised $75 million in a Series B round led by Benchmark, with early investors including Tencent. The company boasted an annualised revenue exceeding $100 million within eight months of launch.
With this acquisition, Meta gains not just a promising AI agent platform but also a team skilled in creating systems that can think and act independently. This directly feeds into Zuckerberg's grand ambition of building a personal superintelligence, setting the stage for the next phase of competition in the AI landscape.
