Manus resumes independent operation, Tencent leads share buyback from Meta
AI agent startup Manus announced on August 12 it will resume independent operation after China's NDRC ordered the unwind of Meta's $2 billion acquisition from December 2025. Tencent will become the largest minority shareholder.
AI agent startup Manus announced on August 11 that it will "soon resume operating as an independent company." This follows the National Development and Reform Commission's April order to unwind Meta's $2 billion acquisition of Manus, struck in December 2025.
Manus warned that some user data might be deleted due to the separation and provided data protection tools. Meta has stopped sharing data with Manus since June and barred employees from using its tools. Manus co-founder Xiao Hong, previously subject to exit bans, is expected to return to the Singapore HQ in the near term as regulators approve the separation.
For the buyback, pre-acquisition shareholders will repurchase equity from Meta at close to the original valuation. The largest buyer is Tencent, which will become the largest minority shareholder (stake but not control). Other buyers include ZhenFund and HSG among early shareholders. Manus will continue as an independent company headquartered in Singapore, not folded into Tencent.
Manus is a representative developer of autonomous general-purpose agents, covering market research, coding, and data analysis. It had launched personal agents in Telegram, with WhatsApp, Slack, and Discord integrations planned.