Chinese investors are reportedly moving to buy Manus back from Meta at its original $2B price.
Beijing has reportedly pushed for tighter control over foreign-owned AI firms.
Manus’ annualised revenue has grown to $400M-$500M, up from $100M at acquisition.
Several of Manus’ early Chinese backers are reportedly working to buy back the AI agent startup from Meta at the same $2 billion valuation that the Facebook parent paid when it acquired the company, according to a report by The Information. The push comes as the Singapore-based startup’s revenue has climbed sharply since the deal closed, making the original price look increasingly favourable to the investors trying to reclaim it.
The reported buyback effort involves some of Manus’ earliest supporters, including the Chinese investment firms HSG and ZhenFund, as well as Tencent. HSG and ZhenFund are reportedly considering raising fresh capital specifically to acquire Meta’s stake. Benchmark, another early Manus backer, is not expected to join the process.
