Meta Acquires Manus: Centralized AI Growth Puts Pressure on Web3

Meta Platforms has agreed to acquire AI startup Manus, which focuses on autonomous agents, marking a significant step for major tech companies in integrating advanced AI technologies to remain competitive in the increasingly fierce AI market.

The Manus acquisition reportedly according to Reuters, comes during an unusually active holiday period for AI deals, with major players including Meta, SoftBank, and Nvidia moving quickly to secure strategic assets before 2026.

Although financial terms have not been disclosed, reports suggest a valuation of around $2 billion to $3 billion, part of a wave of AI-related investments that have totaled more than $50 billion this year.

Manus and the Rise of Autonomous AI Agents

Manus is a general-purpose AI agent capable of autonomously handling tasks with minimal prompts, and it rose to prominence earlier this year. The startup was originally founded in China but later relocated its headquarters to Singapore due to tense US-China tech relations.

Meta stated that acquiring Manus will allow it to integrate this technology into Meta AI and other products, consolidating its position in a highly competitive market. Previously, Meta made large-scale AI investments in Scale AI, signaling the company's ongoing commitment to developing more sophisticated products and services.

This deal also reflects a broader industry trend. Leading tech companies have not slowed down mergers and acquisitions at the end of the year, indicating the urgency they face as competition in the AI sector intensifies.

SoftBank continues to expand its investments in AI infrastructure, while Nvidia remains at the core as a primary supplier of high-end AI chips.

Impact on the Decentralized Space

These moves highlight a clear trend: major tech companies are continually developing fully integrated AI systems that control everything from computing power and models to autonomous agents and distribution.

This trend has significant implications for decentralized platforms. While Web3 projects aim to provide alternatives for AI computing, data ownership, and autonomous agents, centralized companies continue to dominate most consumer and enterprise applications.

In 2025, decentralized computing and AI infrastructure experienced significant growth, but still remain smaller in scale than centralized systems. The global decentralized computing market is valued at approximately $11.9 billion, while the combination of decentralized finance and AI (DeFAI) has evolved from a niche experiment to a core operational layer.

On-chain AI agents are now used to manage trading strategies, liquidity allocation, and governance tasks, with the total market capitalization of DeFAI and AI agent tokens estimated to exceed $900 million.

Despite such growth, on-chain AI and decentralized infrastructure still face limitations in computing power, scalability, and regulatory clarity.

On the Other Hand:

• Some analysts warn that severe chip shortages could slow the expansion of AI in 2026.

Why This Matters

The acquisition of Manus highlights the rapid growth of centralized AI and underscores the competitive pressure facing decentralized alternatives, as well as the shrinking window for them to scale.

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