This Singapore-Based AI Startup Launched Its First ‘General’ Agent in March, Nine Months Later, Meta Bought It for $2 Billion

As per reports coming in from Business Insider and other platforms, Meta has announced it is acquiring Manus for over $2 billion.

Manus is a leading autonomous general-purpose AI agent designed to execute complex, multi-step tasks from start to finish with minimal human intervention. 

About Manus

Originally founded in China and now based in Singapore, Manus AI was founded in 2022.

While the company was established in 2022, its primary product, the Manus autonomous agent was officially launched to the public on March 6, 2025

Manus burst onto the scene earlier this year by introducing what it claimed was the world's first "general" AI agent: a system engineered not simply to respond but to act. 

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Its Specifications

Unlike chatbots that had gone before, Manus could autonomously execute complex tasks such as: 

• résumé screening, 

• stock analysis, 

• market research,

• coding, slide creation, 

• browser-based workflows. 

Founded by Chinese entrepreneur Xiao Hong, known in the tech circles of that country as "Red", Manus was incubated under his AI product studio Butterfly Effect. 

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The Founder

Xiao, a trained software engineer from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, had built large-scale productivity tools used by millions in the past. In 2022, he launched Butterfly Effect and soon after released Monica, an AI-powered browser assistant aggregating multiple large language models.

Timeline

By March 2025, Manus was live. 

By April, it had raised $75 million at a $500 million valuation. 

By midyear, it crossed $100 million in annual recurring revenue. 

The company quietly relocated its headquarters from China to Singapore, expanding teams across Tokyo and San Francisco. 

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Meta Acquisition

On December 30th, 2025, tech giant Meta announced its acquisition of Manus AI for a reported $2 billion to bolster its autonomous agent capabilities.

For Meta, the acquisition is strategic, as the firm has made no secret of its ambition to scale general-purpose AI agents across its ecosystem, from productivity to commerce to creator tools. 

Manus brings both revenue momentum and a working blueprint for autonomous agents that can be deployed at scale.

Meta has highlighted that Manus will remain a standalone product while its underlying technology is integrated into Meta's greater AI stack. 

Meanwhile, the deal entirely cuts whatever remaining ties Manus had with China, addressing regulatory and geopolitical scrutiny.

“Joining Meta allows us to build on a stronger, more sustainable foundation without changing how Manus works or how decisions are made,” Xiao said.

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