Meta buys Manus for $2 billion to power high-stakes AI agent race

• Meta has acquired AI startup Manus in a deal reportedly worth over $2 billion
• Manus builds autonomous AI agents that perform complex tasks like coding and data analysis
• The acquisition accelerates Meta’s pivot from chatbot tools to task-completing AI across its platforms

Meta has acquired AI startup Manus, known for its semi-autonomous AI agents, in a deal reportedly valued at more than $2 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. It's one of the largest AI acquisitions to date. More importantly, it underscores Meta’s plan to shift from creating foundational models like Llama to providing full-service AI agents capable of completing complex tasks for individuals and businesses.

Meta said it plans to make the AI agent platform part of its Meta AI assistant and enterprise offerings. Manus agents can perform complex analytics and long-term research and planning, along with the more usual conversations and ...