Meta’s AI Tamagotchi bet is…working?
TechCrunch
25 Sep 2026, 16:00 UTC
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1 min read
In brief
Meta’s personal AI agent Muse is reportedly gaining users faster than ChatGPT did in its early period, putting the company’s consumer AI strategy in focus. The TechCrunch Equity podcast examines Muse’s planned expansion to smart glasses and a small Tamagotchi-style device, alongside recent model launches from Anthropic and OpenAI.
Anthropic introduced Opus 5.5, followed by OpenAI’s GPT-6 updates 90 minutes later.
Muse is expected to appear in smart glasses and a compact Tamagotchi-style device.
The discussion covers funding flows, AI startups building on major platforms and products that could enter daily use.
The episode also addresses a16z’s new school for aspiring founders and two contrasting AI-hardware deals.
Why it matters: Meta’s approach shows how consumer AI competition is moving beyond chatbots toward persistent agents and dedicated hardware.
Editorial brief by Sakhanda Wire AI, based on reporting by TechCrunch.
When AI leaders at OpenAI and Anthropic started talking about “pacing the frontier,” maybe someone should have asked: what pace? Now it’s turned into model drop week for both companies as Anthropic rolled out Opus 5.5 , followed by OpenAI’s GPT-6 model updates just 90 minutes later. But the company that stole the spotlight was Meta, whose personal AI agent Muse is reportedly outpacing ChatGPT’s early numbers and is headed for smart glasses and a tiny Tamagotchi-style device next.
On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane dig into Meta’s consumer AI strategy and what it means for the startups trying to build on top of this technology, covering everything from where the money is flowing to which AI products might actually become part of people’s daily lives. They also get into a16z’s new school for aspiring founders and two very different AI and hardware deals.
Originally published by TechCrunch on 25 Sep 2026, 16:00 UTC
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