Manus Says It Will Return to Independent Operation
The reversal of Meta's acquisition, prompted by Chinese regulatory opposition, returns Manus to independent status and requires a data purge affecting users who generated data during the Meta ownership period.
Reporting from 2 sources: ASCII.jp, GIGAZINE.
AI startup Manus, whose acquisition by Meta was announced in December 2025, says it will soon return to operating as an independent company. The deal was reportedly withdrawn after China's National Development and Reform Commission decided to prohibit foreign investment in Manus. User data generated after December 29, 2025 will be deleted between August 23 and 24, 2026.
Manus published a blog post telling users it will soon resume service as an independent company. The company says data generated after December 29, 2025, the date Meta acquired it, must be deleted because it conflicts with regulatory requirements in certain jurisdictions.
The deletion window runs from 8:00 on August 23 to August 24, 2026. Affected users can back up their data before then and restore it after August 25. Users who registered through Apple Account or Facebook will only get in-app notifications, since Manus does not have their email addresses.
China's National Development and Reform Commission had decided to prohibit foreign investment in Manus, effectively demanding the acquisition be scrapped. Tencent is reported to be involved in the buyback, though neither company has commented.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.