Tencent in Talks to Become Largest Shareholder in Manus After Meta Deal Blocked

Tencent Holdings is in talks to become the largest shareholder in Chinese AI pioneer Manus after Beijing blocked a blockbuster acquisition by Meta Platforms. The new deal, backed by early investors including Tencent itself, ZhenFund, and HSG, would unwind Meta's purchase at the same $2 billion valuation, positioning the Chinese tech giant to take a leading role in the promising AI firm.

Tencent Manus acquisition talks

• ▪Tencent Holdings Ltd. is in discussions to become the largest shareholder in the Chinese agentic AI pioneer Manus.
• ▪Tencent did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the talks.

Meta deal blocked by Beijing

• ▪A consortium of earlier investors in Manus are in talks to back a deal that would unwind Meta’s purchase.
• ▪Beijing struck down a previous blockbuster acquisition of Manus by Meta Platforms Inc.

Investor consortium unwinding

• ▪Early investors in Manus included Tencent, venture capital firm ZhenFund, and HSG, formerly known as Sequoia Capital China.
• ▪The proposed deal to unwind the Meta purchase would be at the same $2 billion valuation.

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