Partnering with Instinct

Rewiring the Internet

A large part of the internet still depends on people doing the work themselves: navigating websites, following up, waiting on hold, and keeping track of dozens of small tasks.

AI is starting to change that. ChatGPT changed how we find and synthesize information. Claude Code changed how we build. Instinct is focused on the next step: actually getting things done.

A personal agent that can work asynchronously, use the tools we use, and requires minimal back-and-forth has the potential to reshape trillions of dollars of value across the internet economy.

If the primary interface shifts from applications to a personal agent, the underlying stack will change with it: software, workflows, and the intermediaries built around them. The result should be a meaningfully simpler internet, and a better use of our time.

Follow your Instinct

Instinct is a personal assistant built around messages. Connect your email, calendar, and card, then text or call with whatever needs doing. Instinct follows up on loose ends, handles multi-step tasks, and learns how you prefer things to be done.

Planning date night or filing taxes is not inherently difficult. The problem is that each requires a series of small actions at exactly the moment you do not have time for them. For an agent to reliably handle that work, three things needed to become true:

1. It needs to use the same tools we do. Most of the world does not have an API and never will. Instinct can navigate websites, make calls, enter information, and wait on hold the way a person does.

2. It needs to complete the full task. The length of tasks models can complete without human help has been improving rapidly. A year ago, that meant finding a restaurant. Today, it can mean organizing the entire evening.

3. It needs context. Aisle, not window. Handmade pasta, not the loud place. What “somewhere we both like” actually means. The value is not merely completing a task, but completing it the way you would have.

Instinct's founder Noah has been working on agents for years. He was lead author of Reflexion, one of the most widely cited papers on how agents learn from their own mistakes, and a research scientist at Sierra. Since starting Instinct less than a year ago, the team has moved with unusual speed: payments through Stripe, credentials through 1Password, and location sharing, all launched in rapid succession. We have been especially struck by how quickly the product has become part of users’ routines. It's the first personal agent people actually keep using.

We have seen several technology shifts up close, and the pattern is consistent: the winner makes something difficult feel effortless. Search made information easy to find. Mobile put it in your pocket. Agents can make getting things done just as simple.

Instinct is the first product we have seen that makes that future feel tangible. We are thrilled to partner with the team and co-lead their Series C alongside an exceptional group of investors. 

Disclosures

The information in this post is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any securities, or an offer to buy or a solicitation to sell an interest in any Coatue product or investment strategy. Views expressed reflect the opinion of Coatue as of the date of publication and should not be relied upon in making an investment decision. The publication of this post does not create a fiduciary relationship between Coatue and any reader.

This post contains forward‑looking statements and information and/or data from third-party sources. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially, and Coatue does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Information and data, including from third‑party sources, are believed to be reliable but have not necessarily been independently verified. Accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Coatue and/or one or more of its clients have a financial interest in Instinct and may benefit from increases in the company’s value or public interest, which creates a potential conflict of interest and may influence the views expressed herein.

There is no guarantee that any investments discussed have been or will be profitable, or that any product or investment strategy managed by Coatue will achieve its objectives. Past performance is not indicative of future results.