Meta's $2 Billion AI Acquisition Faces Scrutiny Over 'Get-Rich-Quick' Creator Ads

Meta's AI subsidiary Manus is running advertising campaigns promising easy profits through AI-powered web building—a strategy drawing scrutiny over potentially misleading marketing tactics tied to the company's $2 billion acquisition.

The campaign targets content creators with a straightforward pitch: find local businesses without websites or with poor web presence, use Manus' AI to build them, and sell the service for profit. Manus has been paying creators to establish Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok accounts promoting the product as a lucrative side gig. Several of these videos ran as official Manus advertisements while the creator posts themselves often failed to disclose the corporate relationship. The creators' TikTok accounts were removed after The Verge contacted Manus for comment.

The undisclosed paid promotion raises questions about compliance with advertising transparency rules. At $2 billion, Manus represents one of Meta's most significant AI sector acquisitions, and the incident surfaces broader concerns about oversight of the company's AI portfolio. The removal of content following media inquiry suggests awareness of the marketing's problematic framing. Regulators have increasingly focused on deceptive AI-related advertising, and the campaign's "get-rich-quick" positioning could draw additional attention from consumer protection authorities. The episode also raises questions about how Meta monitors the marketing practices of its acquired companies.