China vetoes Meta's $2B Manus deal after months-long probe

· ai-agents startups · Source ↗

TLDR

  • China’s NDRC blocked Meta’s ~$2B acquisition of AI agent startup Manus and ordered both parties to unwind the deal.

Key Facts

  • The NDRC cited laws and regulations but offered no further explanation for the prohibition.
  • Manus was founded in China in 2022, relocated to Singapore around mid-2025, and was acquired by Meta in December 2025.
  • Around 100 Manus employees had already moved into Meta’s Singapore offices by March; founders took executive roles reporting to Meta COO Javier Olivan.
  • Manus CEO Xiao Hong and Chief Scientist Yichao Ji are reportedly under exit bans preventing them from leaving mainland China.

Why It Matters

  • The block complicates Meta’s plans to fold Manus agent technology into Meta AI, with integration already underway.
  • Meta’s Chinese-originated AI agent acquisitions now face regulatory exposure from both Washington scrutiny and Beijing intervention.

Kate Park, TechCrunch · 2026-04-27 · Read the original

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