Meta-owned Manus runs get-rich-quick ads promoting AI website tool as easy “side hustle” with creator partners

Manus, the AI company Meta acquired for $2B last year, has been running undisclosed get-rich-quick ad campaigns promoting its AI tool as an “easy side hustle” that lets users find businesses without websites, generate one with AI, and sell it to them, according to The Verge. One ad posted by an account called “Manus AI by Meta” claimed the work “takes less than 10 minutes” and can bring in a “potential $5k a month,” and Manus paid creators to run nearly identical TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube accounts that often did not disclose ties to the company, with most TikTok accounts removed after The Verge's inquiry. Manus spokesperson Ronghui Li confirmed the company “works with third-party agency partners on paid UGC creator programs” but said responsibility for disclosure on creator posts lay with the creators themselves, while advertising lawyers told The Verge that the undisclosed relationships likely violate advertising laws in multiple jurisdictions.