Instinct cites rapid growth and $1 billion in transaction volume as monetization remains ahead

Instinct was reported to have reached $1 billion in transaction volume in about six months, but it is unclear whether the figure is annualized or cumulative to date. The invite-only service reportedly launched to about 200 friends and family, grew 10% a day with no marketing spend, and had invitations listed on eBay for around $300. About 40% of users reportedly shared a personal credit card within three weeks. A projection—not a current user count—said 5%–8% daily growth while new compute came online could take Instinct to about 100 million users; compute demand was described as roughly doubling weekly.

Instinct’s own A/B tests reportedly matched Opus 5 performance at a fraction of the cost. Last-minute compute purchases were said to cost three to four times more, while background work could run on setups described as three, five, and eight times more efficient on the same compute. The service was also described as retaining about 80% of users who connect at least one piece of sensitive information. It has reportedly called founder Noah Shin three times, including to alert him that a task needed signing within five minutes. The adoption assessment is that most people outside tech have yet to experience AI completing useful tasks, which can feel magical.

Instinct plans to take a cut of purchases, but transactions currently run through third-party cards and do not yet generate revenue for the company. A proprietary card and booking fees were discussed as possible revenue sources. Travel was cited as 50% of transaction volume—not prompts—though 15% was also mentioned before the 50% figure was reiterated, leaving the exact share unclear.