Meta has begun unwinding its $2 billion acquisition of AI company Manus following a direct order from Beijing to reverse the deal. The move marks a rare instance of a foreign government compelling a major US tech company to abandon a completed or near-complete acquisition. The development underscores the deepening geopolitical tension surrounding AI assets with Chinese origins.
Meta is moving into the execution phase of unwinding its $2 billion acquisition of Manus after a Chinese regulatory order. The companies have reportedly completed an operational separation and stopped sharing data. Manus’s founding team is now seeking to raise $1 billion to buy back the company, in what the article describes as China’s first forced breakup of a completed cross-border transaction.