Instinct raises $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation
A popular rival with links to Meta’s social products gives users another way to access similar assistant features.
Instinct raised $1 billion in a Series C involving Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital and Coatue, bringing its valuation to $10 billion from $2.5 billion a month earlier. Its invite-only service went live in August 2026. Meta’s assistant Muse is a new rival with overlapping functions and close links to the company’s social services. Muse has topped the U.S. app stores after millions of downloads, while Instinct still relies on SMS and has no mobile app. Instinct’s original privacy policy has since been revised.
Why it matters
For people choosing an assistant, the contest now turns on access as well as features: Muse connects with Meta’s social products, while Instinct remains SMS-only. That gives users different routes to similar services and makes reach part of the competition.
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Sources
- TechCrunch