Why a Y Combinator startup tackling AI agents for Windows gave up and pivoted
A promising startup named Pig.dev, emerging from Y Combinator’s Winter 2025 batch, initially embarked on an ambitious journey: developing AI agentic technology to control Microsoft Windows desktops. This endeavor aimed to revolutionize how AI interacts with traditional computing environments, a critical step toward truly autonomous agents.
However, in a notable strategic shift announced in May by founder Erik Dunteman, Pig.dev has abandoned its pioneering work in Windows automation. The company is now pivoting entirely to a new venture: Muscle Mem, an innovative cache system designed to allow AI agents to offload and efficiently manage repeatable tasks.
While pivots are common for early-stage YC companies, Pig.dev’s decision is particularly noteworthy given its focus on “computer use”—a significant challenge that must be overcome for AI agents to achieve widespread utility in the professional landscape. This very topic sparked a dynamic discussion on a recent Y Combinator podcast, drawing parallels between Pig.dev’s initial vision and another YC alum, Browser Use, which focuses on agentic control within web browsers.
Browser Use gained considerable traction when the Chinese agentic tool Manus, powered by its technology, went viral. This technology excels at scanning website elements, translating them into a digestible, text-like format that enables AI agents to navigate and interact with web pages effectively.
During the Y Combinator podcast, partner Tom Blomfield likened Pig.dev’s former work to a Windows desktop equivalent of Browser Use. The discussion, featuring Amjad Masad, founder and CEO of the popular vibe-coding startup Replit, alongside YC partner David Lieb, underscored the persistent challenge of long-term computer use by agents. They noted that an agent’s accuracy tends to waver and Large Language Model (LLM) costs escalate when context windows for reasoning extend beyond minutes to hours.
“The advice I would give founders today is taking either Browser Use or Windows automation with Pig and trying to apply that into enterprise, into a vertical industry,” Blomfield suggested. Masad concurred, adding, “The moment that technology works, those two companies are going to do really, really well.”
Despite this potential, Erik Dunteman chose to step away from the Windows automation space. In his May announcement, he detailed that initial attempts to sell the technology as a cloud API product were met with disinterest from customers. A pivot to a developer tool also failed to gain traction. Dunteman found that “What users in the legacy app automation space actually want is to hand me money, and receive an automation.” Essentially, customers desired a consulting service to implement custom Windows robotic process automations, rather than a self-service tool or API.
Committed to building scalable development tools rather than engaging in one-off projects, Dunteman made the difficult decision to abandon Pig.dev’s original focus. While Dunteman declined further comment, the original Pig.dev website and GitHub repositories remain accessible.
However, Dunteman did confirm that Muscle Mem, his new endeavor, is directly inspired by the computer use problem and aims to tackle it from a different angle. This new service is designed to allow AI agents to offload repetitive tasks, freeing up the agent to concentrate on complex reasoning for novel problems and edge cases. “What we’re working on now is directly inspired by and applicable to computer use, just at the developer tooling layer. I remain very optimistic for computer use as ‘the last mile,’” he told TechCrunch.
It’s important to note that the pursuit of Windows automation is far from over. Microsoft itself is making significant strides in this area. In April, Microsoft announced the integration of computer use technology into Copilot Studio for graphical user interfaces like Windows, released as a research preview. Furthermore, earlier this month, Microsoft unveiled an agentic tool within Windows 11 designed to assist end users in managing system settings, underscoring the tech giant’s commitment to making AI agents more integral to desktop interactions.
