Manus Formally Resumes Independent Operations, Ending Meta's $2 Billion Acquisition More Than Four Months After Beijing Blocked It

Manus, the Chinese-founded AI agent startup, announced on Tuesday, September 1, that it had formally resumed independent operations under its original founding team, completing the unwind of Meta's roughly $2 billion acquisition after China's National Development and Reform Commission ordered the deal reversed on national-security grounds in late April. Meta and Manus completed an operational and data split earlier in the summer, erasing user data generated after the December 29, 2025 acquisition date and requiring users to restore data through a dedicated portal; Manus now stores data in the US and Singapore rather than under Meta's systems. Investors including Tencent, ZhenFund and Sequoia-linked HSG purchased Manus shares from Meta as part of the unwind, with Tencent positioned to become the largest shareholder. Manus said its annualized recurring revenue grew from $100 million in December 2025 to $400 million by late June 2026. The reversal is the first instance of Beijing using its foreign-investment security review mechanism to force a US tech giant to divest a Chinese-founded AI company, and sets a precedent for cross-border AI acquisitions involving Chinese talent.