Instinct founder Noah Shinn outlined how the personal AI agent startup may eventually make money in his first public long-form interview. His stated goal is to keep Instinct free for users over the long run rather than charging subscription fees. Instead, if the agent helps users complete actions such as hotel bookings or shopping purchases, Instinct would take a small commission from the merchant that wins the order. Shinn said that remains a goal, not a firm commitment to permanent free access.
He also drew a clear line against advertising. Shinn said personal agents will become more familiar with users over time and more capable of shaping their decisions. In that context, he argued, an ad-driven model could push an agent to persuade users to buy things they did not originally plan to purchase. He said he would rather have Instinct earn money only from transactions users were already intending to complete. The exact commission rate has not been set. Shinn referenced platform take rates used by Shopify, Amazon, and Apple. He added that about half of Instinct’s transaction volume currently comes from travel, and that some boutique hotels are willing to pay commissions of more than 30% for orders the platform brings in, though Instinct may not charge that much.
Instinct founder Noah Shinn used his first public long-form interview to lay out how the personal AI agent company hopes to generate revenue.
Shinn said his goal is for Instinct to remain free for users over the long term, without charging subscription fees. Under that model, if the agent completes transactions for users — including hotel bookings and shopping purchases — Instinct would collect a small commission from the merchant that receives the order. He also made clear that this is still a goal for now, and that Instinct has not promised the product will stay free forever.
No ad-based business model
Shinn said he does not want Instinct to rely on advertising. His concern is that personal agents will become more familiar with users over time and increasingly effective at influencing their decisions. If the platform makes money from ads, he said, the agent could start steering users toward purchases they had not planned to make in the first place. He said he would rather Instinct earn money only from transactions users already intended to complete.
Commission level still undecided
Shinn did not give a specific take rate. He said Instinct is looking at platform commission structures used by Shopify, Amazon, and Apple as reference points.
At present, about half of Instinct’s transaction volume comes from travel. Shinn said some boutique hotels are willing to pay commissions of more than 30% for orders brought in by Instinct, though the company may not charge that much.
Similar idea to Muse
The report noted that Mark Zuckerberg had previously described a similar model for Muse: most users would use the agent for free, and the platform would charge merchants after the agent completed transactions that brought them business.
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