Meta has acquired Manus, a Singapore-based startup that is behind a universal autonomous agent that it plans to integrate into its products. Meta Manus’ AI agents are presented as the next step beyond chat, as software that can carry out the work to completion.
Meta and Manus say the agent can handle tasks such as market research, coding and data analysis independently. The expectation is that you will continue working where you already are and the agent will take on more of the busy work that typically eats up a day.
If you already use Manus, companies value continuity. The subscription service will continue to operate through the current app and website and Manus will continue to operate from Singapore.
Manus is built to execute
Manus is described as a layer of execution that can achieve a goal, go through the steps, and deliver an output without constant back and forth.
To support this, Manus points to scaling metrics. It is said that the agent processed more than 147 trillion tokens in just a few months and enabled the creation of over 80 million virtual machines. Meta says it will continue to operate the Manus service while it works on integrations with its consumer and business products, including Meta AI.
Why Meta wants agents everywhere
Meta is positioning the acquisition as an accelerator for business AI and a way to integrate automation into products people already use. That’s important because it suggests that agents won’t remain trapped in a standalone tool, Meta says it wants them in its broader ecosystem.
The terms of the contract are still tenuous in the public eye. CNBC reports that The Wall Street Journal valued the acquisition at more than $2 billion, and CNBC also reports that eight months after launch, Manus achieved average annual revenue of over $100 million, with a run rate of over $125 million. These numbers help explain why Meta would buy and not just Affiliate.
What companies should consider next
In the short term, it looks like a two-pronged plan: maintain the existing subscription while Meta begins to integrate the agent into more interfaces. The practical questions for companies are where they will appear first and what data and tools they can access.
If you’re managing a team, start by listing the workflows that you would actually trust an agent to complete, such as: B. recurring research, first-pass analyzes or internal coding tasks. Then watch for updates on admin controls, pricing tiers, and data processing language as Meta expands Manus to more companies.
