Tech giant Meta buys China-founded AI company Manus | Economic and commercial news

Meta says an “autonomous” AI agent will help improve the lives of billions of people following a rare deal amid technological rivalry between the United States and China.

Tech giant Meta said it would buy artificial intelligence startup Manus in a rare crossover of U.S. and Chinese technology amid the heated tech rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

Meta said the acquisition would allow it to take over operation of Manus’ self-directed AI agent and integrate the technology into its own products.

Manus, which was founded in China in 2022 but moved to Singapore earlier this year, presents its agent as a “virtual colleague” who can “plan, execute and deliver complete work products from start to finish.”

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said the deal would give one of the “leading autonomous multi-purpose agents” access to billions of people around the world.

“Manus’ exceptional talent will join the Meta team to provide versatile agents for our consumer and professional products, including in Meta AI,” the California-based company said in a statement on Monday.

“We are excited to welcome the Manus team and help improve the lives of billions of people and millions of businesses through their technology.

Manus founder and CEO Xiao Hong hailed the deal as a retort to skeptics of autonomous AI.

“We were told it was too early, too ambitious, too hard. But we kept building. Through doubts, setbacks and countless nights wondering if we were chasing the impossible. We weren’t,” Xiao said on social media.

“The era of AI that doesn’t just talk, but acts, creates and delivers, is just beginning,” Xiao added.

“And now we can build it on a scale we could never have imagined.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Manus, which claims to have created more than 80 million virtual computers, generated major buzz in tech circles almost immediately after its launch in March, drawing comparisons to the frenzy that surrounded the arrival of China-developed chatbot DeepSeek.

Tech analysts have offered mixed assessments of Manus Agent, whose capabilities include the ability to create travel routes and scan inventory with minimal human intervention.

Manus announced earlier this month that its annual recurring revenue had surpassed $100 million, claiming to be the fastest startup in history to reach that milestone.