[AIbase Report] Startups that participated in Y Combinator's Winter 2025 batch, Pig.dev, are undergoing a major transformation. The company originally aimed to build a revolutionary tool that uses AI agents to control the Windows desktop, but its founder Erik Dunteman officially announced the abandonment of this plan in May this year, shifting focus to developing an AI caching system called Muscle Mem.
Muscle Mem aims to address a critical issue that AI agents face in "long-term computer usage" scenarios: the difficulty of efficiently handling repetitive tasks over time. This tool uses a caching mechanism to offload repeatable operations from AI agents, allowing them to focus on more complex reasoning tasks. Dunteman said, "I still believe that computer usage is the 'last mile,' we just approached it from the perspective of developer tools."
Pig's strategic shift has drawn attention because it addresses the core challenges of current AI automation. Tom Blomfield, a partner at Y Combinator, mentioned in a recent podcast that Pig is a "browser agent tool for the Windows desktop," and suggested that startups should focus on browser or operating system automation, applying it to enterprises or vertical industries.
Notably, another YC alumnus company, Browser Use, is also exploring new paths in this field. It relies on the Chinese proxy tool Manus to translate web elements into "textual buttons" that are easier for AI to understand, helping agents navigate websites smoothly. This mechanism has significantly increased the usage of browser agents.
Amjad Masad, the founder of the popular development platform Replit, also stated in the same podcast: "Once this technology truly takes off, these two companies will achieve great success." However, he also admitted that as the reasoning context window expands, the balance between the accuracy and cost of AI systems has become particularly challenging.
Dunteman tried various product paths when abandoning Windows automation, including cloud APIs and development tools, but none received the desired feedback. He admitted, "What users really want is to 'pay for results,' not a self-built development platform."
Although Pig has shifted its focus, its old website and GitHub project are still available, marking that Windows automation remains a key industry concern. In fact, Microsoft has also taken significant steps in this area: it introduced graphical interface automation technology in Copilot Studio this April, and launched an AI setup agent for end-users in Windows 11 this month.
The story of Pig reminds us that the "last mile" of AI is not just a technical challenge, but also a balance between product form and market expectations.