Meta-owned Manus runs get-rich-quick ads pushing its AI tools
TL;DR
Manus, an AI company Meta acquired for $2 billion last year, is running ads promising quick, easy money with AI: find local businesses without websites, have AI build them one, then cold-call and sell it. Manus also paid creators to build Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok accounts that promote the product as an easy, lucrative gig — many posts obscured their ties to the company. The creators' TikTok accounts were taken down after The Verge inquired.
Nauti's Take
The use case is real: local SMBs without websites can genuinely benefit from fast, affordable AI-built sites. But Manus' 'get rich quick' framing is sketchy — paid creator posts without clear ad disclosure are regulatorily dicey in several markets.
Anyone serving this market seriously builds long-term service relationships, not spam-call funnels. Bad PR for the AI industry overall — and Meta likely pays the reputational bill later.
Sources