Manus joins Meta, securing a proven AI execution layer

Manus, the autonomous AI agent startup that just declared a $125 million revenue run rate, is joining Meta. The surprise announcement on Monday confirms that Meta is serious about dominating the next phase of generative AI: the execution layer. Manus specialized in General AI Agents designed to handle complex, end-to-end tasks—from market research to coding and data analysis. In just eight months, the Singapore-based company processed 147 trillion tokens and powered 80 million virtual computers, according to its own metrics released last week. This rapid scaling made it the fastest startup globally to hit $100 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). For Meta, this acquisition is a direct injection of proven agent technology into its ecosystem. While Meta has invested heavily in foundational models, Manus provides the crucial “execution layer”—the ability to reliably turn those models into scalable systems that perform real-world work. Meta plans to integrate Manus’s capabilities into its consumer and business products, specifically mentioning Meta AI, aiming to scale the service to its billions of users. Yann LeCun just departed Meta to start his own World Model developer startup AMI Labs. The Agent Wars Heat Up The timing of the deal, coming just 12 days after Manus announced its record-breaking ARR, underscores the intense competition for top-tier AI talent and technology. Manus CEO Xiao Hong stated that the company will continue to operate its existing subscription service from Singapore, ensuring the transition is not disruptive for current customers. “Joining Meta allows us to build on a stronger, more sustainable foundation without changing how Manus works or how decisions are made,” Hong said in a statement. However, the long-term goal is clear: expanding the agent’s reach across Meta’s platforms, potentially turning every Meta product into a sophisticated, automated workflow tool. Meta was absent in all touch points of the consumer LLM and Generative AI industry. This was their ticket in. This move immediately elevates Meta’s position against rivals like OpenAI and Google, both of whom are racing to deploy their own autonomous agents capable of handling multi-step workflows. The recent launch of Manus Design View, which allows for granular, multi-step visual editing, shows exactly the kind of sophisticated, integrated workflow Meta is now acquiring to embed directly into its massive user base. The agent wars are starting.