A startup called Pig.dev, which participated in Y Combinator’s Winter 2025 batch, was working on a potentially revolutionary idea: AI agentic tech to control Microsoft Windows desktops. However, the founder announced he was abandoning this tech and pivoting his company to focus on a cache system for AI agents, called Muscle Mem.
This pivot is not unusual in the startup world, but what’s interesting is that Pig.dev was working on computer use, one of the key areas that need to be solved for agents to be truly useful in the workforce. Meanwhile, another company, Browser Use, has gained popularity after its Chinese agentic tool Manus went viral.
During a recent Y Combinator podcast, partner Tom Blomfield likened Pig.dev’s abandoned tech to Browser Use but emphasized the importance of tackling computer use for agents. Masad agreed, stating that companies working on this area will likely do well in the future.
Pig.dev’s founder, Erik Dunteman, explained that his customers didn’t want his original cloud API product or dev tool, so he pivoted to creating an AI caching tool called Muscle Mem. This new tool aims to allow AI agents to offload repeated tasks and focus on reasoning for new problems and edge cases.
Microsoft is also working on Windows automation, having added computer use tech to Copilot Studio and releasing a research preview in April. The company has also announced an agentic tool in Windows 11 that helps end users manage settings.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/18/why-a-y-combinator-startup-tackling-ai-agents-for-windows-gave-up-and-pivoted