Manus, the AI ​​agent that works autonomously: why Meta bought him

Artificial intelligence agent“general purpose”: it doesn’t just answer questions like a chatbot, but tries to behave like a “digital employee“capable of completing tasks autonomously, with little initial input. In practice, it plans the steps, uses software tools, executes workflows and returns a final result (report, code, automation, operational summaries). This is the promise that made it one of the most discussed names in 2025, until the twist at the end of the year whenMeta announced the acquisition of Manusto integrate its capabilities into its own products, includingMeta AIwhile also maintaining the service as a separate offering.

In a market where “agent” is often an overused word, Reuters summarizes the difference well: aI have an agentcan operate as adigital employeeperforming tasks independently and withminimal prompt.

The operational capabilities of Manus

Manus is positioned right here:research and analysis, automation of procedurescollection and organization of information, up to more technical tasks (such as coding support and building small projects). According to the Financial Times, his “advanced assistant” capabilities also includecoding, market research e data analysis.

Public strategy and hyperscale numbers

Part of Manus’ public narrative also involved “free-to-air” demonstrations: the company promoted the agent by completing dozens of tasks for users on X for free.

In the post announcing its entry into Meta, the company claims hyperscalability numbers: beyond147 trillion tokens processedand more than 80 million “virtual computers” created/driven by the system forperform tasks.

Origins, founder and geopolitical context

Manus is developed by the company related to the groupButterfly Effectpart of Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology and now based inSingaporewith an increasingly international profile also for geopolitical and operational reasons.

The project exploded in early March 2025 whenAI glovelaunched his agent, going viral on Chinese social media. Different reconstructions converge on the central role of the founderXiao Hong.

The race for agents and strategic partnerships

As for the technical-industrial context, Manus arrived in the midst ofrush to the officers: In March 2025 Reuters also reported a partnership with the teamQwen on Alibabadesigned to integrate agent functions on Chinese domestic models and platforms.

The interest around Manus arises from a combination of factors: the promise of autonomy (less “chat”, more “execution”), the “viral” effect of the first public tests, and a context in which the big names are doingaggressive shopping of technologies and teamsso as not to be left behind in the race for agents.