Meta’s Muse hits 10M U.S. downloads

Meta's AI companion Muse has passed 10 million downloads in the United States within its first 40 days, according to TechCrunch. The figure puts Muse in a small group of Meta apps that have reached that scale quickly, most notably Threads, and it suggests that consumer interest in AI companions remains strong. The milestone is more than a vanity metric. TechCrunch reports that Muse is also retaining users at higher rates than some rival AI apps, which could be a more meaningful sign of durable engagement. Downloads can be driven by promotion and curiosity, but retention shows whether people find enough value to keep coming back. Meta's distribution advantage is central to the story. The company can promote Muse across its family of apps, giving it a reach that many independent AI startups cannot match. That can accelerate adoption and help Meta test which companion features resonate with mainstream users. Still, the long-term question is whether Muse can turn early interest into habitual use. AI companions face scrutiny over privacy, emotional dependence, and content safety, and retention data alone does not answer those concerns. For now, Muse's first 40 days suggest that Meta has found a sizable audience for AI companionship and that its platform strategy may be a powerful launch vehicle. The next test will be whether that audience stays engaged after the novelty fades.