Meta unwinds $2B Manus deal as Beijing tightens grip on AI

meta is severing operational ties with manus, blocking access to internal tools to comply with a forced divestiture ordered by beijing on national security grounds roughly two months ago. manus co-founders are reportedly seeking $1b from investors to buy the company back, potentially leading to a chinese joint venture and hong kong listing. this move highlights beijing's tightening control over its ai sector, which now includes expanded travel restrictions for researchers and government approval for u.s. investment in firms like moonshot ai and bytedance.