Manus abandons USD 2 billion funding round to join Meta, citing Zuckerberg’s vision
The startup behind a new AI assistant has turned a multimillion‑dollar fundraising effort into a corporate partnership, and the shift raises more questions than headlines. While investors were lining up to back a $2 billion valuation, the team suddenly pivoted toward a different kind of backing—one that comes from the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Here’s the thing: Manus isn’t pitched as a chatbot that spits out text; it’s built to take on actual tasks, moving beyond the “generate‑only” model that dominates most consumer‑facing bots.
The move suggests the founders see more upside in aligning with an established tech heavyweight than in staying independent, even if it means walking away from fresh capital. Why does this matter? It puts a spotlight on how early‑stage AI ventures weigh the lure of big‑tech vision against the promise of venture funding.
The decision also hints at how quickly a founder’s pitch can be reshaped when a name like Mark Zuckerberg enters the conversation.
Manus was previously in the process of raising fresh funding at a $2 billion valuation, but the "vision offered by Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg quickly swayed" the team. Manus is positioned as a general-purpose AI agent designed to execute work rather than simply generate responses. It can independently research topics by pulling from multiple online sources, navigate websites to complete tasks end-to-end, and analyse structured data from Excel and CSV files.
It also supports image generation, visual assets, and other structured outputs within larger workflows and integrates with tools, including Google Chrome, Drive, Gmail, Notion, and Google Calendar. On benchmarks such as Meta's Remote Labour Index, which measures automation of remote work, Manus ranked first, outperforming xAI's Grok 4, GPT-5, ChatGPT Agent, and Gemini 2.5 Pro, although the benchmark has not been updated to reflect newer model releases. Earlier this year, Manus announced it had crossed $100 million in annual recurring revenue just eight months after launch, placing it among the fastest-growing AI startups alongside Lovable, Replit, and Cursor.
What does this shift suggest about talent dynamics in AI? Manus, the agentic AI platform built by Singapore’s Butterfly Effect Technology, walked away from a $2 billion valuation funding round to join Meta, citing Mark Zuckerberg’s vision as the decisive factor. The team will now work within Meta to develop general‑purpose AI agents for the company’s suite of products.
Neither Meta nor Manus disclosed the financial terms, and it remains unclear whether the transaction is a full acquisition or an acquihire. Manus is positioned as an agent that executes work rather than merely generating text responses, a claim that aligns with Meta’s broader AI ambitions. The lack of detail on compensation or equity leaves open questions about how the deal balances the startup’s valuation with Meta’s strategic goals.
While the move eliminates a sizable independent funding round, it also integrates the technology into a broader environment where resources are abundant but priorities may shift. Whether the partnership will accelerate the development of truly autonomous agents remains uncertain, and observers will watch for concrete outcomes in Meta’s product roadmap.
Further Reading
- Meta Acquires AI Startup Manus to Expand General Purpose AI Agents - Business Insider
- Zuck buys Chinese AI company Manus - The Register
- Meta Acquires Manus: Chinese AI Agent Startup Deal - The Outpost
- Meta Platforms buys Manus to bolster its agentic AI skillset - SiliconANGLE
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Common Questions Answered
Why did Manus abandon the $2 billion valuation funding round to join Meta?
Manus chose to leave the $2 billion fundraising effort because the vision presented by Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg convinced the team that a corporate partnership would better serve their goals. The founders believed that aligning with Meta would accelerate the development of their general‑purpose AI agents, outweighing the immediate financial upside of the round.
What capabilities does Manus’s AI assistant have that differentiate it from typical chatbots?
Manus is designed as a general‑purpose AI agent that can independently research topics by pulling information from multiple online sources, navigate websites to complete end‑to‑end tasks, and analyze structured data in Excel and CSV files. Unlike standard chatbots that only generate text responses, Manus can execute real‑world work and handle complex data manipulation.
How will Manus’s integration with Meta affect the development of AI agents for Meta’s product suite?
After joining Meta, the Manus team will work within the company to build general‑purpose AI agents that can be embedded across Meta’s ecosystem, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This collaboration is expected to enhance Meta’s AI capabilities by leveraging Manus’s task‑execution technology for a broader range of user‑focused applications.
Who founded Manus and what is the company’s background?
Manus was created by Singapore‑based Butterfly Effect Technology, a startup focused on building agentic AI platforms. The company has positioned itself as a pioneer in AI agents that go beyond simple text generation to perform actionable, data‑driven tasks.