Meta Muse Claims 500,000 Sign-Ups, Debate on OpenClaw

In the United States, Meta's personal agent has recorded over 500,000 sign-ups in a week and has topped the App Store. However, Meta acknowledges a strong inspiration from OpenClaw, with very similar technical elements identified. A central unknown remains: will users be willing to entrust their access and sensitive data to this type of agent?

Uncertain Sustainability and Possible Response from OpenAI

The usage trajectory of Muse is not established: it remains to be seen whether the initial interest will translate into sustainable practice. The main point of friction mentioned relates to the necessity for this type of agent to access users' accounts and sensitive data, a condition that will largely determine its longevity. In the competitive landscape, Muse would surpass the early mobile launch of ChatGPT when comparing platforms and availability. Meanwhile, OpenAI has mentioned the possibility of offering its own personal assistant in response to Meta's initiative.

A Massive Start, WhatsApp as a Relay, and Leading the App Store

In the week following its launch on September 8, Muse claimed over 500,000 users, with more than 250,000 active daily users, generating over two million queries. The agent is distributed in the United States as a standalone app and via WhatsApp. In terms of public distribution, it has taken the top spot on Apple's App Store, with over 31,000 ratings. Designed to eliminate routine tasks, it offers travel search and booking, deal hunting, expense tracking, and calendar conflict management.

Meta Acknowledges Strong Inspiration from OpenClaw, Similarities Highlighted

Meta states that Muse largely adopts the principles of OpenClaw. On X, Nat Friedman explains that the product was "built from the ground up" while being heavily inspired, mentioning a desire to create a comparable tool capable of adapting to billions of users, also calling Peter Steinberger a genius. On X, some users have noted the existence of files with identical titles and nearly similar content, including a file named SOUL.md. In a viral post, Ansh Nanda claims that "Muse is literally OpenClaw for the general public." When asked about these similarities, Nat Friedman responds that Peter Steinberger had "perfectly succeeded" in these elements. Accusations of plagiarism are circulating in this context. These choices are placed within a history where Meta adopts the best features of promising products, with the emblematic example being the integration of Stories invented by Snapchat.