Meta almost took control of Manus — but the deal didn’t come with full operational control.
In this episode of Control in AI, we explore the Meta-Manus transaction and why it creates a new category in antitrust: partially realized deals. These arrangements are not to cross the threshold of actual control. But this episode focuses on the transition from theory to early integration and technical direction.
We study:
What the deal was like in early alignment and what got it stuck
Meta and Manus working in adjacent layers of the AI stack (attention vs execution)
Antitrust questions that were never fully litigated
“Is this a merger?” is now the less important question than “When does control actually start?”
This pattern also appears in conflicts around OpenAI and points to a larger change in how AI markets concentrate power.
Watch to understand the emerging grey zone of partnership, acquisition, and real control.
Read the full article and graphic analysis:
Explore more visual economics content: https://econworks.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EconWorks-d3e
Substack:
