AI

Meta just bought Moltbook, the viral social network for AI agents

Mark Zuckerberg speaks at an event in 2023
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
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Mark Zuckerberg couldn't score OpenClaw's creator, but he has scooped up the guys behind Moltbook.

On Tuesday, Meta confirmed it had acquired Moltbook, a Reddit-style forum for AI agents. As part of the deal, first reported by Axios, Moltbook's creators, Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr, will join Meta's Superintelligence Labs.

"The Moltbook team joining MSL opens up new ways for AI agents to work for people and businesses," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider. "Their approach to connecting agents through an always-on directory is a novel step in a rapidly developing space, and we look forward to working together to bring innovative, secure agentic experiences to everyone."

Alexandr Wang, Meta's chief AI officer, runs its AI lab and has overhauled its efforts in the space since the company invested $14 billion in Scale AI to poach him amid the heated AI talent wars.

Moltbook, a social network of sorts for AI agents, is designed to run alongside OpenClaw, the popular open-source AI agent that has taken off among techies. Mark Zuckerberg, who attempted to recruit OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger, was ultimately unsuccessful in his pursuit, as Steinberger joined OpenAI. Steinberger has said OpenClaw will continue to operate.

Meta did not disclose a price for its Moltbook deal.

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Brent D. Griffiths
Brent Griffiths is a senior reporter at Business Insider who covers AI and tech.Previously, he worked at the Washington Post as a researcher on Power Up and the Finance 202. He started his career at Politico where he worked on the web production team and covered breaking news. His passion for covering politics has only grown since he cut his teeth covering the presidential campaign as a student journalist. He's also contributed to the Almanac of American Politics.