Meta’s head of product at Superintelligence Labs, Nat Friedman, confirmed that the Muse AI agent was heavily inspired by the open-source framework OpenClaw. While Meta states that no code was directly copied and the product was built from scratch, the company acknowledged similarities in agent architecture and workspace file structures.
OpenClaw emerged in January 2026 as a locally-run, multi-channel agent. Meta began development on Muse after exposure to the framework, utilizing Mac minis for the process. Muse officially launched on September 8, 2026, and is currently accessible only to adults in the United States.
The agent operates via iOS and Android apps, a web interface, and WhatsApp. It performs tasks such as email management, travel booking, and planning. Pricing includes a free tier alongside paid subscriptions at $20 and $100 per month. The system is powered by Meta’s proprietary Muse Spark models.
Following the launch, Meta shares rose by 11.4%. The agent recorded over 900,000 downloads in its first week. Meta leverages its existing infrastructure, including WhatsApp, which serves over two billion users globally, to distribute the new tool.
