# Meta gives up control of Chinese AI startup Manus after eight months

> Source: <https://www.computerworld.com/article/4209728/meta-gives-up-control-of-chinese-ai-startup-manus-after-eight-months.html>
> Published: 2026-08-14 13:04:42+00:00

Chinese AI company Manus has laid out its plans to operate as an independent company following the reversal of its acquisition by Meta.

The US social media company [agreed to buy Manus last year](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4112046/meta-buys-high-profile-ai-startup-manus.html) but Chinese regulators [quickly opened an investigation into the deal](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4113806/chinese-authorities-scrutinize-metas-purchase-of-ai-startup-manus.html), as they were concerned that it violated Chinese export controls. In April, [China’s National Development and Reform Commission blocked](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj0v0gr2yz7o) the purchase.

Manus will now revert to being an independent company and to meet with regulatory requirements must [delete some user data collected while it was part of Meta](https://manus.im/blog/a-note-to-our-users), it said Tuesday.

The failure of the deal illustrates the problems that US and Chinese companies are having as they attempt to build a hold on the AI market.

While regulatory authorities in China don’t want Manus under US ownership, US authorities are equally suspicious of China’s role in AI development. The [US administration fired a warning shot this March](https://www.csoonline.com/article/4141989/trumps-cyber-strategy-emphasizes-offensive-operations-deregulation-ai.html) by unveiling a new cybersecurity policy, a move which was prompted by suspected [Chinese involvement in a cyber-attack on the FBI](https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/china-suspected-in-breach-of-fbi-surveillance-network-2c9d1691).

Also in March, [the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission warned](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4149313/chinas-use-of-open%E2%80%91source-ai-threatens-the-us-lead-in-ai-development-us-commission-warns.html) that Chinese use of open-source AI tools could lead to an economic advantage that the US couldn’t counter through regulation. And last year[, US and Chinese authorities played a cat-and-mouse game](https://www.networkworld.com/article/4117031/yea-or-nay-will-nvidia-h200-chips-go-to-china.html) over Nvidia chip exports.

Customers of AI vendors in both countries may need to be wary about future cross-border acquisitions as the two superpowers jostle for a technological lead.