{"id":743773,"date":"2026-08-12T15:00:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T12:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/china-would-not-let-meta-keep-manus-users-have-until-24-august-to-save-their-work\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T15:00:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T12:00:42","slug":"china-would-not-let-meta-keep-manus-users-have-until-24-august-to-save-their-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/china-would-not-let-meta-keep-manus-users-have-until-24-august-to-save-their-work\/","title":{"rendered":"China would not let Meta keep Manus. Users have until 24 August to save their work"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a85538cbac92\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a85538cbac92\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/china-would-not-let-meta-keep-manus-users-have-until-24-august-to-save-their-work\/#The_deadline_is_24_August\" >The deadline is 24 August<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/china-would-not-let-meta-keep-manus-users-have-until-24-august-to-save-their-work\/#What_Manus_actually_was\" >What Manus actually was<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/china-would-not-let-meta-keep-manus-users-have-until-24-august-to-save-their-work\/#Meta_bought_it_briefly\" >Meta bought it, briefly<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/china-would-not-let-meta-keep-manus-users-have-until-24-august-to-save-their-work\/#Beijing_is_keeping_its_founders\" >Beijing is keeping its founders<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/china-would-not-let-meta-keep-manus-users-have-until-24-august-to-save-their-work\/#The_contradiction_worth_noticing\" >The contradiction worth noticing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/china-would-not-let-meta-keep-manus-users-have-until-24-august-to-save-their-work\/#What_nobody_has_answered\" >What nobody has answered<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.thenextweb.com\/2026\/04\/Meta-Manus.avif\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n<p>Manus is leaving Meta. The Chinese agent startup told users this week that it will \u201csoon return to operating as an independent company\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>That is not a change of heart. Beijing refused to let the acquisition stand, and Meta chose not to fight it.<\/p>\n<p>The unwinding has a cost, and customers are paying part of it. Manus <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/manus.im\/blog\/a-note-to-our-users\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">says legal requirements<\/a> force it to delete some user data created since 29 December 2025.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_deadline_is_24_August\"><\/span>The deadline is 24 August<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The deletion happens on 24 August. Anyone who wants to keep that work has to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">download<\/a> it first.<\/p>\n<p>Data downloaded before the cutoff can be restored to Manus from 25 August. Anything left behind goes.<\/p>\n<p>That is 12 days of notice for people who built work inside the product. The company has not said how much data is affected or how many users.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Manus_actually_was\"><\/span>What Manus actually was<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Manus arrived in March 2025 with something people had not seen work before. It called the product a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> agent, and it ran inside a virtual computer with no human at the controls.<\/p>\n<p>The demo did the persuading. Manus claimed the agent could open a ZIP file of job applications, read them, score them against criteria a user set, and write a document ranking the best candidates.<\/p>\n<p>Users arrived quickly and the company claimed a $100m revenue run rate. It also did what Chinese AI startups do when they need capital, and moved its official headquarters to Singapore.<\/p>\n<p>That move was the point. Foreign investors are easier to raise from in Singapore, and Tencent had earlier been in talks to become the company\u2019s largest shareholder.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Meta_bought_it_briefly\"><\/span>Meta bought it, briefly<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Mark Zuckerberg decided to acquire Manus in December 2025. Meta said the startup\u2019s people would help it ship general-purpose agents across its consumer and business products.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cManus\u2019s exceptional talent will join Meta\u2019s team,\u201d the acquisition announcement said. The plan put agent <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> built in China inside Meta AI.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing opened an investigation in early 2026. By April, Chinese regulators had forbidden foreign investment in Manus outright.<\/p>\n<p>Meta did not contest it. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theregister.com\/ai-and-ml\/2026\/08\/12\/zucks-chinese-agentic-prey-escapes-will-resume-standalone-ops\/5286598\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Register<\/a> reports the company began disentangling itself instead, and this week\u2019s note is the end of that process.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Beijing_is_keeping_its_founders\"><\/span>Beijing is keeping its founders<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Singapore move was a workaround, and it did not work. A Chinese company can relocate its letterhead, but the regulator still decides who ends up owning the technology.<\/p>\n<p>This fits a pattern. Chinese regulators have moved on AI products at home, banning emotionally interactive AI companions and switching off services millions of people used.<\/p>\n<p>They have also turned outward. Beijing opened a cybersecurity review into Palo Alto Networks, an American security company selling into the same market.<\/p>\n<p>The Manus decision is the same instinct applied to ownership. China will let its models <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>, but not its companies.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_contradiction_worth_noticing\"><\/span>The contradiction worth noticing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Beijing is simultaneously pushing its AI outward and holding it in. Chinese labs have flooded the world with open-weight models, creating what one analysis called a death zone for American rivals selling access.<\/p>\n<p>Free weights go anywhere. A cap table does not.<\/p>\n<p>That distinction is deliberate. Exported models spread Chinese technical standards at no strategic cost, while an acquired company transfers people, roadmaps and control.<\/p>\n<p>Meta has form here regardless. It shipped Muse Code in August, its own agent product, so the capability gap the Manus deal was meant to close has partly closed anyway.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_nobody_has_answered\"><\/span>What nobody has answered<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Meta has said nothing about a replacement. It has not explained whether it will rebuild what Manus offered, buy elsewhere, or drop the plan.<\/p>\n<p>It has also not said what it learned. Meta spent roughly eight months working alongside Manus before the separation, and no one has addressed what stayed behind.<\/p>\n<p>Manus has its own questions to answer. It has not said who owns it now, whether the earlier Tencent talks resume, or whether the $100m run rate survived the ownership limbo.<\/p>\n<p>What is certain is the date. On 24 August a company caught between two governments will delete a chunk of its customers\u2019 work, because that is what the lawyers concluded the law required. The geopolitics were argued in Beijing and Menlo Park, and the invoice arrived in the inbox of anyone who used the product.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/manus-meta-acquisition-blocked-china-independent-data-deletion\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manus is leaving Meta. The Chinese agent startup told users this week that it will \u201csoon return to operating as an independent company\u201d. That is not a change of heart. Beijing refused to let the acquisition stand, and Meta chose not to fight it. The unwinding has a cost, and customers are paying part of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-743773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=743773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743773\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=743773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=743773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=743773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}