Manus resumes independent operations
Chinese-founded AI startup Manus announced on Tuesday that it had formally resumed independent operations, more than four months after Beijing blocked its US$2 billion acquisition by Meta Platforms. The company's founding team will continue to lead Manus as an "independent agent lab," the firm said in a blog post, as it moves on from a months-long process that has drawn attention across the technology sector.
Manus described the resumption as the start of its "next chapter," according to a company statement. The Singapore-based startup, launched in March 2025, develops autonomous AI agents capable of handling tasks such as web research and report writing.
Data restoration and user impact
The announcement came three weeks after Manus notified users that it was erasing some data generated on or after December 29 -- the date the company was acquired by Meta -- "to comply with regulatory requirements in specific parts of the world." Manus said affected users could restore their data through the company's "restoration portal."
"For some users, this transition required backing up and restoring data, as well as navigating a temporary interruption to access. We know this took you additional time and effort, and we are very grateful for your patience and trust," the company said.
Meta has been working with Manus as part of the separation process, helping users back up and restore their data, according to a report by The Economic Times.
Regulatory backdrop
The deal unraveled after Beijing intervened. Meta had announced in December that it would acquire Manus, a developer of general-purpose AI agents founded in China in 2022 before moving its headquarters to Singapore. The proposed acquisition quickly came under scrutiny in both China and the US. Chinese authorities examined whether the transaction complied with the country's rules governing foreign investment and technology transfers, as reported by The Economic Times.
In April, China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) ordered the parties to withdraw the transaction, setting off a complex process to unwind the deal, according to the same report. The intervention came amid Beijing's tightened controls around technology exports and cross-border transactions involving sensitive technologies. China and the US are increasingly competing for AI talent, computing hardware, and data, as the global race to develop more capable AI systems intensifies.
Meta's AI ambitions
For Meta, the Manus deal was part of a broader push to strengthen its AI capabilities. The social media giant had planned to integrate Manus' technology into consumer and enterprise products to compete with OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, as reported by The Economic Times. Meta has also been exploring building a subscription business around AI.
The collapse of the deal could set a precedent for global deal-making involving Chinese-founded tech startups, according to the South China Morning Post.