(Yicai) Dec. 30 -- Meta Platforms has agreed to buy Manus, a Singapore-based artificial intelligence startup founded by Chinese entrepreneurs. The deal is worth more than USD2 billion, according to media reports.

“Manus is joining Meta to bring a leading agent to billions of people and unlock opportunities for businesses across our products,” Meta, the California-based company behind Facebook, announced yesterday. Manus said the agreement represented a “validation of our pioneering work with General AI Agents.” Neither disclosed the deal’s value.

The purchase likely ranks as Meta’s largest acquisition behind that of WhatsApp and Scale AI, according to a report by Latepost.

Meta paid about USD19 billion for messaging app WhatsApp in 2014 and around USD14 billion this June for 49 percent of data infrastructure company Scale AI.

Prior to its acquisition, Manus was raising funds in a new round at a valuation of USD2 billion, Latepost reported. It had previously completed four fundraisers, with investors including Sequoia China, Tencent Holdings, and other Chinese and US venture capital firms and tech entrepreneurs.

Manus, which is run by parent firm Butterfly Effect, will continue to operate independently following the acquisition. “Our top priority is ensuring that this change won't be disruptive for our customers,” Manus said, adding that its subscription-based products would continue to be sold and supported through its app and website.

Butterfly Effect was founded in 2022 and launched Manus, its flagship general AI agent, this March. Since its debut, the platform has processed more than 147 trillion tokens and created over 80 million virtual computers. As of the middle of this month, the company reported annual recurring revenue in excess of USD100 million.

“Joining Meta allows us to build on a stronger, more sustainable foundation without changing how Manus works or how decisions are made," said Xiao Hong, founder and chief executive of Butterfly Effect. As part of the deal, Xiao will join Meta as a vice president.

Manus's team will help deliver general-purpose agents across Meta's consumer and business products, including Meta AI, the American company noted, adding that it plans to scale the service to many more businesses worldwide.

At a conceptual level, AI agents are a practical precursor to superintelligence. "Superintelligence has the potential to begin a new era of personal empowerment where people will have greater agency to improve the world in the directions they choose," Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg said in July.

Editor: Martin Kadiev