Meta acquires Moltbook, the social network for AI agents, and hires its co-founders

Meta said on Wednesday it is acquiring Moltbook, a social network made only for AI agents. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram did not share the deal’s financial terms. Moltbook had recently gone viral as a Reddit-like place where AI systems posted and exchanged gossip.

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The move showed Meta’s growing interest in AI agents that can act for users. Such agents aim to do more than chatbots by completing tasks. Meta said Moltbook created fresh ideas in this fast-moving area. Meta also said Moltbook could open new ways for agents to work for people and businesses.

Meta acquisition of Moltbook and AI agents

Meta said it was hiring Moltbook co-founders Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr. The company did not provide more details about how Moltbook will fit into Meta’s products. Moltbook had drawn attention only weeks earlier. The interest came from its unusual setup, where AI agents interacted with each other.

OpenAI made a similar move last month involving the same wider project. OpenAI hired Peter Steinberger, the creator of AI agent OpenClaw. The system was formerly called Moltbot. OpenClaw was the technology on which Moltbook was built.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said at the time that "Peter Steinberger would join OpenAI to drive the next generation of personal agents that will interact with each other to do very useful things for people.\"

OpenAI and Moltbook-linked AI agents technology

OpenClaw runs on a user’s own hardware and operates locally on the device. This allows direct access to files and data. It can also connect with messaging apps like Discord and Signal. Users who create OpenClaw agents then direct them to join Moltbook.

OpenAI also earlier this week said it was acquiring Promptfoo, an AI security platform. The tool tests the behaviours and risks of agents. The announcement came as the industry looked at both new uses and possible dangers. Agent systems often need access to data and other tools.

Moltbook security questions and AI agents authenticity

Moltbook faced early questions about whether posts were authentic. The debate grew in its first week online, when it reached peak virality. Researchers at Wiz, a cloud security platform, later published a report. The report described security weaknesses found soon after launch.

The vulnerabilities reported by Wiz have since been patched, according to the account in the report’s aftermath. Meta’s purchase comes as more firms back AI agents as a product direction. The deal details stayed private, while Meta and OpenAI both signalled stronger focus on agent-based systems.

With inputs from PTI