Manus AI is preparing to operate independently again after Chinese regulators blocked Meta’s planned acquisition of the Chinese AI company. The case highlights Beijing’s willingness to retain control over domestic technology firms, even when they seek overseas investment and partnerships.

Manus launched in March 2025 with an autonomous “general agent” designed to perform multi-step computer tasks, and later claimed a $100 million annual revenue run rate. Meta announced plans to acquire it in December 2025, but China barred foreign investment by April 2026; Manus will delete certain user data created since 29 December 2025 on 24 August, with customers able to download it beforehand and restore it from 25 August.