Manus (AI agent)
| Manus | |
|---|---|
| Developers | Butterfly Effect Pte. Ltd. Xiao Hong |
| Initial release | March 6, 2025 |
| Stable release | Manus 1.5
/ October 16, 2025 |
| Type | AI agent |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | manus |
Manus (meaning hand in Latin) is an autonomous artificial intelligence agent developed by Butterfly Effect Pte Ltd, before being acquired by Meta Platforms.
History
Manus was founded to create artificial intelligence agents capable of operating independently, based on large language models (LLM). The official launch of Manus was on March 6, 2025. VentureBeat described Manus as a major advance because it could autonomously handle complex tasks, including writing and deploying code.[1] Manus was described as a turning point in the development of artificial intelligence due to its ability to operate entirely without direct human intervention and complete complex tasks autonomously, including writing and deploying code.[1]
Acquisition by Meta Platforms
In December 2025, Meta announced that it would acquire Manus, the company behind the Manus AI agent. Meta did not disclose financial terms; reporting suggests the deal is valued between US$2-3 billion. Meta said it would continue to operate and sell the Manus service and integrate its technology into products including Meta AI. Manus said it would continue offering subscriptions through its own app and website and remain based in Singapore.[2][3] In January 2026, it was announced that Manus was the subject of an initial regulatory review by Chinese authorities following the proposed acquisition. The review focuses on whether artificial intelligence technologies developed by Manus while it was based in China fall under national security or technology export regulations.[4] Beijing subsequently issued exit bans for Manus executives under scrutiny.[5]
References
- ^ a b Franzen, Carl (2025-03-10). "What you need to know about Manus, the new AI agentic system from China hailed as a second 'DeepSeek moment'". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
- ^ Varghese, Harshita Mary; Mishra, Arnav; Wu, Kane (2025-12-30). "Meta to buy Chinese founded startup Manus to boost advanced AI". Reuters.
- ^ "Meta buys startup Manus in latest move to advance its artificial intelligence efforts". Associated Press. 2025-12-29.
- ^ Poddar, Diya (2026-01-07). "China reviews Meta's Manus acquisition amid AI security scrutiny: report". Invezz. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
- ^ Swanson, Ana; Tobin, Meaghan; Mozur, Paul; Tan, Eli (2026-03-17). "China Ramps Up Scrutiny of Meta's Acquisition of Manus". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-17.