AI startup Manus is resuming independent operations after Chinese regulators block Meta’s planned acquisition of the company, according to multiple outlets. Manus says it will break from Meta and return to operating as its own company following the unwind of the deal.
Meta announced the acquisition in December, valuing the transaction at about US$2 billion as part of its strategy to expand its artificial intelligence capabilities. In response to the Chinese regulatory decision, outlets report that Meta is required to reverse the deal. Quartz adds that this unwind includes a process that involves deleting some users’ data, reflecting the regulatory and compliance steps tied to the blocked transaction.
Across the coverage, the central points align: Manus is no longer proceeding under Meta ownership, and the change is directly tied to China’s intervention. While the outlets differ slightly in emphasis—some focusing on the deal value and Meta’s AI push, others on user-data deletion steps—the overall narrative is that the acquisition is being undone and Manus will operate independently again.
