Industry 2026-08-12

Beijing killed Meta's $2 billion purchase. Now Manus is free again — and deleting eight months of its users' work on 23 August.

Manus, the AI agent startup built by Butterfly Effect, told users on 11 August that it is returning to operating as an independent company. Meta completed its acquisition on 29 December 2025 for a reported $2 billion; in April, China's National Development and Reform Commission ordered the deal unwound, citing rules on outbound investment and technology export controls — even though the company had already moved its headquarters from China to Singapore in 2025. The separation carries a deadline most users will not have noticed. Everything created on or after 29 December 2025 — the day Meta took ownership — will be deleted between 23 and 24 August, Singapore time. Manus has opened a backup window running from 11 to 23 August, says affected users will not be charged during it, and promises restoration from 25 August onwards along with a "welcome back" bonus. Users who signed up through Apple ID or Facebook are told to check their in-app notifications, since the email may not reach them.

Why it mattersIf you use Manus, this is a calendar item: back up anything you made since late December before 23 August. The wider point is what it costs to be a company that two governments both consider theirs. Manus moved to Singapore, sold to an American buyer, and was still unwound by a Chinese regulator eight months later — and the bill for that decision is being paid in ordinary users' files. Everyone building on top of an AI startup right now is renting the same exposure: the tool works until the geopolitics moves, and your data sits inside the tool.

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Beijing killed Meta's $2 billion purchase. Now Manus is free again — and deleting eight months of its users' work on 23 August.

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