Manus AI will soon “return to operating as an independent company” after China’s decision not to allow Meta to acquire the local AI outfit. Manus launched in March 2025 with a “general agent” that could perform tasks like evaluating job applications inside a virtual PC without human help, and claimed to have hit a $100 million run rate. It moved its official headquarters from China to Singapore. In December 2025, Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg decided to acquire Manus, planning to use its tech across Meta’s AI products. Beijing launched an investigation in early 2026, and by April, Chinese regulators had decided to forbid foreign investment in Manus. Meta did not fight the matter and began disentangling itself. On Tuesday, Manus published a note stating it will soon return to operating as an independent company. Due to legal matters, Manus must delete some user data generated since December 29, 2025, with deletion set for August 24; customers who download data before then can restore it from August 25. Meta has not said how or if it will replace Manus’s tech. The incident serves as an example of China’s determination to keep control of local innovators.