Artificial Intelligence
Meta's Muse draws 500,000 users and faces copying claim
Meta said its AI agent Muse drew more than 500,000 users in its first week in the US, while the company and others pointed to strong similarities with OpenClaw.
- According to The Information, citing internal data, Muse had more than 500,000 users in its first week in the US, more than 250,000 daily active users and over two million prompts.
- Meta made Muse available in the US as a standalone app and through WhatsApp, and it reached number one in Apple's App Store with more than 31,000 ratings.
- Meta said Muse was heavily inspired by OpenClaw, and Nat Friedman wrote on X that it had been developed from scratch.
- Users on X pointed to similar file names and contents, including a SOUL.md file, and Ansh Nanda posted that Muse was OpenClaw for normies.
- The Information said OpenAI had discussed building its own personal assistant in response.
According to The Information, Muse drew more than 500,000 users in the week after its 8 September launch in the US. The same internal figures put daily active users at more than 250,000 and total prompts at over two million.
Meta made the app available in the US as a separate download and through WhatsApp. It also reached first place in Apple's App Store and collected more than 31,000 ratings.
Meta said Muse was closely based on OpenClaw, the open-source project. Nat Friedman, who leads product at Meta Superintelligence Labs and previously ran GitHub, wrote on X that the team had taken inspiration from it while building the product itself.
Users on X pointed to matching file names and similar contents, including a SOUL.md file that defines an agent's behaviour. Ansh Nanda, co-founder of an AI app, described Muse as OpenClaw for ordinary users.
The article said OpenAI had discussed making its own personal assistant in response. It also said the question for Muse was whether people would allow AI agents access to private accounts and sensitive information.
Named in this story
People
- Nat Friedman
- said Muse was inspired by OpenClaw and led product at Meta Superintelligence Labs
- Peter Steinberger
- created OpenClaw
- Ansh Nanda
- posted that Muse was like OpenClaw for normies
Companies
- Meta
- launched Muse and acknowledged its influence from OpenClaw
- OpenAI
- was said to have discussed a personal assistant in response
- Apple
- hosted Muse at number one in the App Store
Organisations
- Meta Superintelligence Labs
- employs Nat Friedman as head of product
Products and systems
- Muse
- Meta’s personal AI agent app
- OpenClaw
- open-source project that Muse resembled
- carried Muse alongside the standalone app
How the source tells it
The register is promotional at first, then sceptical, using launch numbers and App Store rank before shifting to copying claims and doubts about retention.
- hype launch metrics and store ranking are used to signal momentum
- scepticism the piece pivots to doubts about whether users will keep using it
- controversy copying allegations are reinforced with near-matching files and behaviour rules