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Meta Buys AI Startup Manus to Accelerate Artificial Intelligence Push

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Meta is acquiring artificial intelligence startup Manus as the owner of Facebook and Instagram steps up efforts to expand AI capabilities across its platforms. The company did not disclose financial terms, though The Wall Street Journal reported the deal was valued at more than $2 billion.

Manus, a Singapore-based platform with Chinese roots, launched a general-purpose AI agent earlier this year offering paid tools for research, coding and other tasks. Meta said Manus already serves millions of users worldwide and will help deliver AI agents across its consumer and business products, including Meta AI.

Manus CEO Xiao Hong said joining Meta would provide a stronger foundation without changing how the platform operates. Manus will continue selling subscriptions through its own app and website and confirmed it will remain based in Singapore.

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The startup has grown rapidly, announcing earlier this month that it surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue just eight months after launch. Early backers reportedly included Tencent Holdings, ZhenFund and HSG.

Meta said there will be no continuing Chinese ownership interests after the deal and that Manus will discontinue operations in China. The move comes as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg seeks to strengthen the company’s AI position amid competition from Google and OpenAI. In June, Meta invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI and recruited its CEO to help lead advanced AI development.

Nvidia will continue sponsoring H-1B visas despite Trump’s new $100,000 fee

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has confirmed that the company will keep sponsoring H-1B visas and pay all associated fees, even after President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that added a $100,000 charge per new application, according to Business Insider.

Huang’s internal message sought to reassure foreign employees after confusion rippled through the tech sector, especially among Indian and Chinese professionals who form a large share of H-1B visa holders. The company employs many workers from abroad, and Huang has often noted that nearly half of the world’s AI researchers are Chinese.

“As one of many immigrants at Nvidia, I know the opportunities we’ve found in America have profoundly shaped our lives,” Huang wrote. “The miracle of Nvidia — built by all of you, and by brilliant colleagues around the world — would not be possible without immigration.”

Under Trump’s order, new H-1B applicants cannot enter the U.S. unless their employer pays an additional $100,000 fee. The rule does not affect current visa holders or those who applied before September 21.

H-1B visas enable U.S. firms to hire foreign specialists in technical fields. Lawmakers recently questioned major tech companies about their reliance on H-1B hiring while cutting other jobs.

Huang emphasized that legal immigration remains essential for America’s leadership in technology and innovation, saying the new policy changes reaffirm this principle. Data from USCIS shows that California — home to Nvidia and Silicon Valley — has led the nation in visa applications since 2018.

Trump slaps $100K annual fee on H-1B visas, rattling U.S. tech sector

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The Trump administration on Friday announced a sweeping change to the H-1B visa program, saying companies will now have to pay $100,000 per year per visa—a move critics warn could devastate the U.S. tech industry’s access to global talent.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick framed the move as part of Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, urging firms to “train Americans” instead of hiring foreign workers. But tech giants including Microsoft, Amazon, and JPMorgan quickly advised employees on H-1B visas to remain in the U.S. or return before the new fees take effect at midnight Saturday.

The H-1B program, which provides 85,000 visas annually for specialized workers, has long been dominated by Indian nationals (71% of approvals in 2024) and Chinese professionals (11.7%). In the first half of 2025 alone, Amazon received approval for more than 12,000 H-1B visas, with Microsoft and Meta securing over 5,000 each.

Under the new rules, the cost of a three-year H-1B stint would balloon to $300,000 per worker, compared with just a few thousand dollars under the current system. Analysts say this could force smaller firms and startups to offshore high-value work, weakening the U.S. in the global AI and tech race against China.

Industry figures voiced alarm. Venture capitalist Deedy Das warned the change “creates disincentive to attract the world’s smartest talent,” while eMarketer analyst Jeremy Goldman said Washington risks “taxing away its innovation edge, trading dynamism for short-sighted protectionism.”

The announcement sparked immediate financial fallout: shares of Cognizant sank nearly 5%, while Infosys and Wipro slipped 2–5% in U.S. trading.

Meanwhile, Trump also signed an executive order creating a “gold card” residency program, offering permanent U.S. residency for those who can pay $1 million upfront.

Legal experts questioned the fee’s validity, noting Congress only authorizes visa fees to cover administrative costs, not as a revenue generator. Still, the administration insists “all the big companies are on board.”