The Chinese government has ordered Meta to unwind its acquisition of Manus, an AI startup that builds autonomous agents.
Meta announced it would acquire Manus in December as part of a push into building general-purpose AI agents across its products.
China’s National Development and Reform Commission said on Monday that it had prohibited Meta’s investment in Manus. The commission, which handles economic policymaking, ordered the companies to unwind the acquisition.
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Manus was created in China but relocated to Singapore in mid-2025. The company went viral last year after it previewed an AI agent that could autonomously perform tasks such as stock analysis.
There’s much at stake for Meta if the Manus deal falls through. The deal had the potential to be a fast revenue generator for Meta, as well as a way to make big progress with agents.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
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