Why Manus matters
Meta acquires Manus, built by the Chinese-founded, Singapore-based startup Butterfly Effect, for more than $2B on December 30, 2025. China's foreign investment security review office orders the deal unwound on April 27, 2026, the first time it has forced a completed transaction to be reversed. By June 2026 Meta cuts Manus staff off from its internal systems and stops sharing data while the separation proceeds.
The numberAcquired by Meta for over $2B in December 2025; China ordered the deal unwound on April 27, 2026
On The Agentic 80
Listed under Browser and general-purpose agents. Agents that use the web and the computer the way people do.
Quick answers
- What does Manus do?
- General-purpose AI agent that plans and completes multi-step tasks by orchestrating third-party models. Meta acquires Manus, built by the Chinese-founded, Singapore-based startup Butterfly Effect, for more than $2B on December 30, 2025.
- What AI capabilities does Manus offer?
- Manus offers a general-purpose AI agent that takes a goal and completes multi-step work. It plans the task, browses the web, calls tools, writes and runs code, and returns files such as documents, slides, and spreadsheets. The agent coordinates third-party models rather than a Manus foundation model. Users follow progress in a workspace and can steer or correct the run.
- Why is Manus on The Agentic 80?
- Manus is listed under Browser and general-purpose agents. Agents that use the web and the computer the way people do. Acquired by Meta for over $2B in December 2025; China ordered the deal unwound on April 27, 2026.
- Where is Manus based, and who owns it?
- Manus is based in Singapore, Singapore, was founded in 2022 and is acquired by Meta (Dec 2025); unwinding under Chinese government order since Apr 2026.