China Orders Meta to Withdraw Manus Acquisition… Tencent in 20Billion-Dollar Talks
The Chinese government ordered Meta to withdraw its acquisition agreement for Manus, citing national security and concerns over the leakage of AI technology, while Tencent and other existing investors and executives are negotiating to reacquire Manus from Meta. The negotiations are reportedly valued at around the same level as Manus’s valuation when it was acquired by Meta: 20 Billion Dollars(3 Trillion Won).
The Chinese government ordered Meta to withdraw its acquisition agreement for Manus, citing national security and concerns over the leakage of advanced AI technology. Tencent, existing investors and Manus executives are subsequently negotiating to reacquire Manus from Meta.
The enterprise value discussed in the negotiations is at the same level as the 20 Billion Dollars(3 Trillion Won) Meta offered at the time of the acquisition. The negotiations are ongoing, and new investors may also participate.
Tencent is seeking to become Manus’s largest shareholder through the transaction but is expected to remain a minority shareholder without securing a majority stake. According to reports, Manus will not be integrated into Tencent’s business and will operate independently in Singapore.
Tencent is reportedly expecting synergies with its own AI agent business through an increased stake in Manus. Manus co-founder Xiao Hong was reportedly included in the external user group when Tencent publicly tested its own AI agent features.
Meta announced last year that it would acquire Manus on 12 month 20 day. Subsequently, the Chinese government ordered the withdrawal of the acquisition in 4 month, and as of early 7 month, negotiations for the re-acquisition are underway.
The progress of the negotiations and the final shareholder structure have not yet been finalized. The parties involved are discussing additional participants and terms.
Sources: 뉴시스 경제
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