Facebook parent Meta to unwind US$2 billion Manus AI deal after Beijing block
Facebook owner Meta Platforms is set to fully unwind its acquisition of Chinese-founded artificial intelligence platform Manus, more than three months after Beijing blocked the deal on national security grounds, capping off another high-profile decoupling between the US and China in the critical area of AI. On Tuesday, Manus wrote in a note to users that it would delete data by “certain users”…
Meta Platforms is set to unwind its US$2 billion acquisition of Chinese-founded AI platform Manus after Beijing blocked the deal on national security grounds, marking another high-profile decoupling between the US and China in the critical area of AI. The data deletion, necessary to comply with regulatory requirements, is scheduled to take place by August 23, with affected users given until that date to back up their data.
Manus, launched in March 2025, offers AI agents that autonomously execute tasks for users, and was rebranded as a Singapore company last summer, enabling it to bypass US restrictions on capital and technology outflows to China.
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Also reported by 2 other outlets
- Facebook parent Meta to unwind US$2 billion Manus AI deal after Beijing block scmp.com
- AI startup Manus to resume independent operations as deal with Meta unwinds economictimes.indiatimes.com