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TechTencent in talks to become largest shareholder of Singapore-based AI startup Manus, sources say
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Chinese internet giant Tencent is in discussions to become the largest shareholder of Singapore-based AI startup Manus, following Beijing's order for Meta to unwind its US$2 billion acquisition of the company. Sources indicate that Tencent, along with Manus' original investors including ZhenFund and HSG, plans to repurchase the startup from Meta for no less than US$2 billion. The deal was blocked by China in April amid rising geopolitical tensions, marking a high-profile case of Beijing challenging a cross-border transaction involving a non-China-incorporated firm. Since the order, Meta has internally split from Manus and stopped data sharing. Manus, which develops AI agents capable of autonomous task execution, moved its operations from China to Singapore last year and was hailed as China's next DeepSeek in early 2025.
Source report
SINGAPORE — Chinese gaming and internet giant Tencent is in discussions to become the largest shareholder of Manus, the Singapore-based artificial intelligence startup, as investors seek alternatives following Beijing’s order for Meta to unwind its US$2 billion acquisition of the company, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.
The Financial Times first reported the talks earlier on Friday (July 10).
Buyback Plan
Tencent, together with Manus’ original investors — including ZhenFund and HSG — is planning to repurchase the company from Meta for no less than US$2 billion, said one source and a third person briefed on the matter.
Tencent, Manus, Meta, and the two investment firms did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Background
Manus develops AI agents capable of autonomously carrying out tasks with minimal human input. The company moved its operations to Singapore from China last year.
Meta announced the acquisition of Manus in December, aiming to bolster its work on agentic AI. However, China launched a review in April into whether the deal violated investment rules.
Regulatory Context
The Manus order in April marked the latest high-profile case of China blocking or challenging a cross-border transaction involving a non-China-incorporated company, amid escalating geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington.
Since Beijing’s order, Meta has executed an operational split from Manus internally and stopped data sharing between the firms, Bloomberg News reported in June.
Industry Significance
Manus was hailed in early 2025 by state media and commentators as China’s next DeepSeek, after releasing what it described as the world’s first general AI agent.
Source: Reuters
Keywords: Tencent, Artificial Intelligence, Meta Platforms
Source
The Business TimesRegional
Part of this Story
Tencent leads consortium to buy AI startup Manus from Meta after Beijing blocks deal