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The Chinese government has halted Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of artificial intelligence (AI) startup Manus. On Monday (April 27), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it would “prohibit foreign investment in the Manus project” and required the companies involved to “withdraw the acquisition transaction.”
PYMNTS has contacted Meta for comment but had not received a reply at the time of publication.
The NDRC’s action follows months of scrutiny after a CNBC report that Chinese regulators were investigating the deal, including whether the acquisition complied with China’s export control laws.
Meta announced plans to acquire Singapore-based Manus in late 2024 as part of a broader effort to expand its AI offerings. In its announcement, Meta said Manus was “already serving the daily needs of millions of users and businesses worldwide.” Meta also stated that Manus launched its first general AI agent earlier this year and had “already served more than 147 trillion tokens” and “created more than 80 million virtual computers,” adding that it planned to scale the service to more businesses.
The deal was described as one of the most high-profile examples of an American technology company buying an AI startup with roots in Asia’s AI and startup ecosystem. Manus received support from the Chinese government in March 2025 after it introduced an AI agent capable of producing detailed research reports and creating custom websites, using AI models from companies including Anthropic and China’s Alibaba.
PYMNTS previously reported that acquiring Manus would provide Meta with a “scaled, revenue-generating AI product with direct consumer payments.” It also noted that while Meta has invested in AI infrastructure and promoted open-source models through its Llama family, monetization has largely been indirect—tied to advertising and engagement across social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
According to PYMNTS, the acquisition would give Meta technology and distribution, along with “immediate exposure to subscription revenue” and insight into consumer willingness to pay for AI-powered assistance. The report also said the transaction could shorten the timeline for rolling out premium AI offerings without building a paid user base from scratch.
In related coverage, PYMNTS said Meta’s position as a social media platform gives it an advantage in AI compared with other players, citing years of accumulated public user data. It stated: “No other AI company holds that position,” adding that “OpenAI knows what users have asked previously. Google knows what they search. Meta knows what they buy, who they follow and what they scroll past.”
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