Manus announced Tuesday that it will resume operating as an independent company, as it works to comply with Beijing's order to reverse Meta's $2 billion acquisition of the startup. Manus is an AI agent startup that originated in China in 2022 and later moved its base to Singapore, according to CNBC. Meta announced the acquisition of Manus in December 2025. As part of the separation, some Manus users will have data deleted. Meta cut off Manus staff from its internal data systems and barred Meta employees from using Manus tools, in steps toward operational separation.