Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Meta AI, has officially acquired the artificial intelligence startup Manus, in a major step to expand its AI technology and agent capabilities. The announcement was made on December 29, 2025 and is being seen as one of the most significant AI acquisitions of the year.
What This Acquisition Means
Meta said Manus has built a leading autonomous general-purpose AI agent, capable of handling complex tasks such as coding, market research, and data analysis with minimal human input. The goal is to integrate this technology across Meta’s products, including Meta AI, Facebook, Instagram and business tools to help both everyday users and companies get more done with smarter automation.
Meta also confirmed that Manus will continue operating its own service, even after the acquisition, and that the startup’s team will join Meta to help build advanced AI agents. Manus will keep running from its base in Singapore, with no disruption to its existing subscription service.
According to Meta, this deal could help bring powerful AI tools to billions of people and millions of businesses around the world. Users can expect AI agents that do more than chat, they will be able to act, create and deliver results on real-world tasks.
What Manus Brings to the Table
Manus has gained attention in the tech world for processing more than 147 trillion tokens and creating over 80 million virtual computers for tasks across various use cases. The company has been rapidly growing and serving users globally with its subscription-based AI agent platform.
Meta described the acquisition as a way to scale Manus’s technology faster and bring its AI agents into more consumer and enterprise applications worldwide. The Manus team will also help Meta develop additional agent features inside Meta AI and other products.
Strategic Growth in AI
This acquisition comes as part of Meta’s broader push into artificial intelligence. In 2025, Meta significantly increased its AI investments, aiming to compete more closely with leading rivals such as OpenAI, Google and others. By adding Manus’s expertise in autonomous AI agents, Meta hopes to offer more powerful and useful AI capabilities to users and businesses.
For now, Meta has not disclosed the financial terms of the deal, but industry estimates suggest it could be worth billions of dollars, making it a major strategic investment for the company as it works to expand its AI ecosystem.