Meta Platforms has agreed to acquire the technology and core team of Singapore-based artificial intelligence startup Manus. This move will add a highly popular AI agent product to the social media giant’s portfolio, strengthening its commercialization roadmap amid massive AI-driven investments.
Meta’s CEO has made AI the company’s top strategic priority, pouring tens of billions of dollars into hiring researchers, building data centers, and developing new models.
Manus disclosed earlier this year that its annual recurring revenue has reached around USD 125 million, generated through a subscription model that provides intelligent services to enterprises. This commercialization pathway may become a key lever for Meta to accelerate the payback of its heavy AI R&D spending. Notably, the financial terms of this deal have not been publicly disclosed.
Manus’s parent company was originally founded in China before relocating to Singapore. Earlier this year, in a funding round led by U.S. venture capital firm Benchmark, the company was valued at nearly USD 500 million.
Manus launched its product earlier this year—an AI agent capable of handling general tasks such as screening résumés, planning travel itineraries, and analyzing stocks based on simple instructions. Meta, on the other hand, already operates its own AI chatbot, Meta AI, which is available not only on AI glasses but also across its social and communication platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Meta is investing heavily to compete in the AI race against rivals such as OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft. Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to invest USD 600 billion in U.S. infrastructure projects over the next three years, with the majority of that spending related to AI.
Market Commentary:
Meta has assembled a high-cost research team and plans to launch a new, state-of-the-art AI model next spring. This elevated level of spending has sparked concern among some investors who worry that it may be difficult to translate into significant revenue in the short term. Meta has stated that it will continue to operate and sell Manus’s services while integrating them into its existing product ecosystem.
