Meta’s Muse intensifies competition with personal-agent startup Instinct

Meta’s launch of Muse is presented as a notably fast move into the personal-agent market. The timing of development remains unclear: one estimate puts work on Muse at about six months, while it is also uncertain whether Meta tried to acquire Instinct or how that may have related to Muse.

The competition has taken an unusually public turn. Meta-affiliated figure Alex has been criticized for repeatedly taking direct shots at Instinct, which is described as a startup about 11 months old. The behavior is characterized as unusual for a trillion-dollar company and as an incumbent “punching down,” unlike Meta’s more restrained public response to earlier competitors such as TikTok and Snapchat.