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Muse

Amazon openly blocks Meta's Muse shopping agent

Sources (9)
  • Bad news: Amazon's own Alexa for Shopping has 400 million users against Muse's 10 million, and Amazon openly blocks outside agents.
  • Mixed: Muse is coming to Windows 11 as a native app, but the security rules there are set by Microsoft.
  • Mixed: Home Depot is in talks with Meta on Muse identity checks but wants to keep the direct customer relationship.

What we watchHome Depot's authentication talks with Meta, and Walmart's agent profiles launching in November.

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Retail gateways are splitting into a blocking camp and a conditional-opening camp. Muse has won the latter, plus the Windows desktop. Amazon's own Alexa for Shopping has 40 times Muse's user base (400 million against 10 million), the biggest hard constraint in shopping.

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Microsoft's execution container extends Muse's distribution to the Windows 11 desktop, but the security rules are set by someone else. Home Depot is negotiating access under a personal agent protocol that Meta helped draft, but it is unrealistic for merchants to keep the customer relationship while letting Muse be the sole entry point. The ad for tracking unfollowers exposes a structural contradiction: Muse does what Meta's own products deliberately do not. Overall, neutral to weak for the thesis.

Key evidence

  • Amazon CEO Andy Jassy on the 29 Oct earnings call: without naming Muse, he said few customers use external shopping agents to buy, the experience is poor and no more convenient than going to the retailer directly. He expects Amazon to work with general-purpose agents but believes Alexa for Shopping will be customers' main agent for shopping at Amazon
  • Alexa for Shopping was used by more than 400 million customers over the past 12 months, with engagement up 570% year on year and US users spending 50% more per order (cross-checked against Fortune and the Benzinga transcript)
  • Muse's official figure is more than 10 million set-up users in the US and Canada (Q3 earnings call), a 40-fold gap in user base
  • Shopping is Muse's main use, with more than a quarter of users doing it. Without Amazon there is a large gap
  • Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on the 28 Oct earnings call: Microsoft's execution container is the policy enforcement layer for governing and isolating agents, adopted by OpenAI, Anthropic and Muse, and Meta is deploying it in its enterprise environment (reported by Benzinga from the call)
  • Microsoft has confirmed that Muse will arrive on Windows 11 as a native app, extending Muse from phones, Mac and WhatsApp to the Windows desktop
Show 8 more
  • Home Depot CIO Angie Brown to Business Insider: an agent is welcome to search, compare prices and place orders as long as it can prove its identity and confirm which customer it represents. Home Depot is in talks with Meta on how Muse authenticates, but does not want to lose the direct contact with customers
  • Walmart launches agent profiles in November, which can set spending limits of $50, $100 or $200 or require confirmation order by order
  • The personal agent protocol Meta and Sierra launched on 6 Oct was drafted with Walmart, Shopify and Stripe
  • Retailers are splitting: the blockers (Amazon) against the conditional openers (Walmart, Home Depot, Best Buy)
  • A PYMNTS survey says 80% of merchants expect to pay fees or commission on agent-completed sales (third party, a lead only). Meta has not announced a take rate
  • Business Insider: a Muse ad on Instagram advertised tracking of Instagram unfollowers, and a Meta spokesperson confirmed it has been taken down
  • Instagram has always deliberately not built unfollow tracking (for fear of hurting users and lowering engagement), and the reporter's test showed Muse can in fact track from now on
  • Third-party data says about 39% of ads in October were served to Muse

Catalysts to watch

  • Walmart's agent profiles go live in November
  • Outcome of Home Depot's talks with Meta on Muse identity authentication
  • Whether Amazon relaxes its terms for working with general-purpose agents
  • Launch of the native Muse app on Windows 11
  • Meta announces a commission or take-rate model for agent transactions
  • More retailers take sides (blocking against conditional opening)

Risks

  • Alexa for Shopping has 40 times the users and Amazon openly blocks, so Muse's shopping narrative has a large gap in the US
  • On Microsoft and Apple operating systems the security rules are set by the platform, so Meta's distribution advantage holds only inside its own apps
  • Merchants insist on keeping the customer relationship, so it is unrealistic for Muse to be the sole entry point
  • Muse does what Meta's own products deliberately do not (such as unfollow tracking), and the conflict of interest between agent and platform was handled by pulling an ad for now
  • The room for a transaction take rate has not been monetised, and Meta has not announced a take rate
  • Alexa for Shopping engagement is up 570% year on year with users spending 50% more per order, so the network effect of Amazon's own agent has formed

Sources 9

  1. Amazon Q3 earnings call, 29 Oct
  2. Fortune
  3. Benzinga transcript
  4. Microsoft Q3 earnings call, 28 Oct
  5. Business Insider
  6. Walmart agent profile announcement
  7. Meta and Sierra personal agent protocol, 6 Oct
  8. PYMNTS survey (lead only)
  9. Meta Q3 earnings call

A brief is a lead for our research, not a verified conclusion or advice.