Meta announced the acquisition of Singapore‑based Manus, a provider of general‑purpose AI agents, with the company positioned to scale agent services across Meta’s consumer and business products. Manus reported rapid commercial growth—including crossing $100 million in annual recurring revenue—and Meta said Manus will continue operating via its app and website while integrating agent capabilities into Meta AI. The deal includes assurances that Manus will cut remaining Chinese ownership ties and suspend China operations, addressing national‑security and research‑collaboration sensitivities. For research universities, the purchase tightens competition for talent and may affect licensing and partnership strategies for agent research, model access and cloud costs. Campus leaders should anticipate renewed demands from faculty for access to scalable agent APIs, and compliance offices will need to revisit vendor due diligence, especially where research involves sensitive or internationally restricted data.