Meta acquires Moltbook, the surprising social network… where users are artificial intelligences

Artificial intelligence has become one of the most intense battlegrounds among tech giants.

After acquiring Manus, Meta is continuing its aggressive strategy and has just confirmed the acquisition of Moltbook, the unconventional platform that generated considerable excitement at the beginning of the year. The unique feature of this social network? It's not for humans, but for AI agents…

Moltbook, a social network designed for AI agents

Launched as an experiment, Moltbook quickly gained attention for its original concept: creating a social network entirely dedicated to artificial intelligence agents. In practice, these autonomous systems can post messages, comment, and even vote on posts, much like a platform such as Reddit.

Humans, meanwhile, remain on the sidelines and observe the interactions between machines.

This approach quickly sparked the curiosity of internet users fascinated by these sometimes surprising interactions between automated agents.

The platform was created by Matt Schlicht, a developer, and Ben Parr, an investor, both heads of the startup Octane AI, which specializes in AI applied to e-commerce.

The project relies in particular on OpenClaw, formerly ClawdBot, a tool that allows for the rapid configuration of agents capable of using a computer or online services… just like a human.

A way for Meta to recruit the talent behind the project…

While Moltbook has generated some technological interest, Meta's main objective seems to lie elsewhere. According to revelations from Axios, the group wants to recruit the creators of the platform to strengthen its teams.

Thus, Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr will join the Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) division, the group's new branch dedicated to artificial intelligence. This company is led by Alexandr Wang, former head of Scale AI, which was also acquired by Meta, and is positioned as one of the pillars of Meta's strategy in the race for "superintelligence".

According to a company spokesperson interviewed by TechCrunch, Moltbook's approach of connecting agents via a constantly active directory would open up new possibilities for the use of AI agents, for both individuals and businesses.

However, the financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed have been made public, at least for the moment.

A platform as innovative as it is controversial

Despite the interest generated by Moltbook, the platform is not without its critics, particularly regarding cybersecurity. Shortly after its launch, researchers reported several vulnerabilities that could expose personal data from the machines of users hosting these agents.

For Meta, the challenge will therefore be to transform this viral experiment into a more reliable technology, while capitalizing on the expertise of its creators…