Manus to continue independent operation after acquisition falls through

AI agent developer Manus said it will return to operating as an independent company, months after Chinese regulators investigated its acquisition by Meta, marking a rare unwinding of a high-profile, cross-border technology deal.

Manus said in a letter to users that it would continue serving millions of users globally, but some accounts would be affected as it separates from Meta and complies with regulatory requirements in certain jurisdictions.

As part of the separation, data generated by some users on or after Dec 29, 2025 — the date Manus said Meta acquired the company — will be deleted between Aug 23 and Aug 24, Singapore time, Manus said.

Affected users can back up their data on Aug 23 and restore it on Aug 25. They are expected to lose access to their Manus accounts for about two days while the deletion takes place.

China's National Development and Reform Commission said in April that the country's foreign investment security review mechanism had prohibited the foreign acquisition of Manus and ordered the parties to unwind the transaction.

The ruling followed a review of Meta's reported $2 billion acquisition of Manus.

China's Ministry of Commerce said in January that companies engaged in outbound investment, technology exports, cross-border data transfers, and mergers and acquisitions must comply with Chinese laws and complete required procedures.

The ministry said at the time that it would work with other government agencies to assess whether the Manus deal complied with regulations governing export controls, technology imports and exports, and outbound investment.