In a bold move that underscores the tech industry's rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape, Meta Platforms has announced its acquisition of Manus, a Singapore-based AI agent developer with remarkable growth and potential.

The Singapore-headquartered startup, which originally emerged from Chinese innovation hub Butterfly Effect, has made significant waves in the AI world by launching a sophisticated general-purpose AI agent capable of executing complex tasks like market research, coding, and data analysis. Within just eight months of its launch, Manus claimed an impressive annualized revenue exceeding $100 million, with a revenue run rate surpassing $125 million, catching the attention of major tech players.

Meta's strategic investment aims to accelerate AI innovation for businesses and integrate advanced automation into its consumer and enterprise products, including its Meta AI assistant. The company emphasized its commitment to scaling Manus's service to more businesses worldwide, with CEO Xiao Hong noting that joining Meta will provide a stronger, more sustainable foundation without disrupting the company's core operations.

The acquisition, reportedly valued at over $2 billion according to Wall Street Journal sources, represents another significant step in Meta's aggressive AI talent acquisition strategy. This move follows the company's recent $14.3 billion investment in AI start-up Scale AI in June and the acquisition of AI-wearables startup Limitless earlier this month, demonstrating Meta's commitment to becoming a leading force in artificial intelligence.

Manus brings impressive technological credentials to the table, having processed over 147 trillion text and data tokens and supporting more than 80 million virtual computers. The startup has already attracted interest from major tech companies, with Microsoft testing Manus tools in Windows 11 PCs for website creation. Backed by prominent investors like Tencent and HongShan Capital Group, Manus emerged as a notable AI player by claiming superior performance to OpenAI's Deep Research agent.

The acquisition highlights the global nature of AI innovation, with Manus transitioning from its Chinese roots to a Singapore-based operation before joining Meta's ecosystem. By bringing Manus employees into its teams, Meta continues its strategy of aggressively recruiting AI talent from startups and major competitors like OpenAI and Google.

As the AI landscape continues to evolve at breakneck speed, Meta's acquisition of Manus signals the company's clear intent to be at the forefront of technological innovation, investing heavily in cutting-edge AI capabilities that could reshape how businesses and consumers interact with intelligent technologies.