Continuing its aggressive AI investments, Meta announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Manus, a Singapore-based general-purpose AI agent developer. According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal is valued at over $2 billion. Originally founded in China and later relocated to Singapore, Manus introduced an AI agent earlier this year capable of handling complex tasks such as market research, code writing, and data analysis. Manus reportedly generated over $100 million in annualized revenue just eight months after launch. According to Meta's statement, following the acquisition, remaining operations inside China will be wound down gradually, with no Chinese ownership remaining. The existing Manus subscription service will continue to operate without interruption. Meta says the acquisition is intended to accelerate AI innovation for businesses and to integrate advanced automation into its consumer and enterprise products, including the Meta AI assistant. Manus employees will join Meta's teams, and Meta stated that "Manus is serving the daily needs of millions of users and businesses around the world." The acquisition of Manus is part of Meta's broader strategy of snapping up specialized AI startups to recruit talent and accelerate its wider AI initiatives — including its open-source Llama models. Meta also invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI last June and acquired AI-wearables startup Limitless earlier this month. Ref: CNBC