Dossier · Ongoing

Manus and the Split from Meta

From Tencent's July buyback bid to confirmed independence and the August 2026 data migration: the Manus-Meta case, tracked over time.

Meta acquired the Chinese AI agent provider Manus in December 2025 for around two billion dollars. After China’s economic planning agency NDRC declared the acquisition invalid in April 2026, an investor group led by Tencent spent months negotiating a buyback.

In August 2026, Manus confirmed the completed separation – along with the migration of user data generated during the Meta era and a significant discount on the original valuation.

Timeline

  1. Tencent negotiates Manus buyback – after Beijing's Meta intervention

    Beijing forces Meta to unwind the Manus acquisition, Tencent is negotiating a buyback for at least two billion dollars.

  2. Manus leaves Meta after blockade by China

    An investor group led by Tencent buys the AI agent startup Manus back from Meta for around two billion dollars.