Tech giant Meta has officially initiated substantive steps to reverse its acquisition of AI startup Manus, achieving a critical separation of core business and data by establishing an internal "firewall" between the two companies. Since early June 2026, Meta has completely prohibited Manus and its employees from accessing its internal data systems, and strictly forbade Meta employees from using Manus' tools in internal projects.

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According to internal memos from Meta, the company is gradually phasing out Manus' services and has ordered employees to migrate existing projects to Meta's own systems, stopping any new projects from being initiated on Manus' platform.

This strategic move aimed at completely separating the two businesses marks the end of this highly anticipated AI acquisition. At the same time, the founding team of Manus is actively exploring various feasible solutions to reverse the deal, including plans to raise approximately $1 billion to repurchase company ownership. However, it remains unclear whether these discussions have made substantial progress so far. Before this, Manus employees had already moved into Meta's office in Singapore, and early investors including Tencent Holdings, ZhenFund, and Sequoia China had already received the acquisition payments from Meta.

From an industry perspective, the "quick split" between Meta and Manus reflects the complex regulatory environment and integration challenges currently faced by the global AI M&A market. As antitrust reviews of tech giants in the AI sector intensify, and as startup teams increasingly demand independence, the traditional "acquisition-based" approach to acquiring AI talent and technology is undergoing systematic reflection. If Manus successfully regains its independence through a buyback, it could not only provide a new model for AI startups seeking autonomous development amid corporate rivalries, but also prompt global tech giants to re-evaluate their investment and M&A strategies in the generative AI field.