Chinese officials are reviewing Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus for possible technology control violations, FT reported on Tuesday.
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Meta Platforms is set to test new subscription models across its apps, including Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp in the coming months, according to a report from TechCrunch on Tuesday.
The report, confirmed by a Meta spokesperson, said the subscriptions are expected to “unlock more productivity and creativity” by giving paid users access to more features and expanded AI capabilities.
Meta’s recently acquired suite of general AI agents under Manus will also be scaled as part of the subscription plans. Meta Platforms bought Manus — a Singapore-based developer of AI agents founded in China — in December for a reported $2 billion.
With its new subscription plans, Meta could be seeking a return on investment from its massive spending on AI talent and acquisitions last year, even before the Manus purchase.
While Meta has been developing large language models under the Llama umbrella, those have been open-sourced. That means general access to Llama has remained free, unlike with paid plans from AI leaders like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic.
Other features offered as part of Meta’s paid plans could include full access to its AI-powered short-form video experience Vibes, which allows users to create and remix AI-generated videos.
While Vibes has been free since its launch in 2025, the new subscription model would grant free access to its basic version, with the option to pay for additional features.
The subscriptions will be separate from Meta Verified, a paid product rolled out by the company in 2023 that gave content creators and businesses a verified badge, 24/7 direct support, protection against impersonation, search optimization, and more.
Meta told TechCrunch that it plans to listen to its user community and gather feedback as it rolls out subscriptions in the coming months.
