Replika founder launches Wabi 2.0, an AI assistant that builds custom apps

Eugenia Kuyda's latest venture fulfills the vision she pitched at TechCrunch Disrupt 12 years ago

By LineZotpaper

Published20 October 2026

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Sources3 outlets

Eugenia Kuyda, the founder of AI companion startup Replika, has launched Wabi 2.0, a multiplayer personal AI assistant that builds custom apps within a messenger-style interface. The release marks the realization of a conversational agent concept Kuyda first pitched at TechCrunch Disrupt in 2014, before large language models existed.

Twelve years after presenting a lifestyle concierge chatbot called IO at TechCrunch Disrupt, Eugenia Kuyda has launched a product that finally delivers on that original vision. Wabi 2.0, which launched to all users on Monday, is a personal AI assistant that functions as a messenger app, allowing users to maintain multiple agentic threads dedicated to different tasks and long-term goals.

Within each thread, users can build and use custom apps, such as a weight-loss tracker inside a health thread or an app showing nearby children's events inside a family thread. Unlike the initial version of Wabi launched last year alongside a $20 million pre-seed round, which let users create mini apps to share with friends, Wabi 2.0's agent decides what apps to build. When connected to a user's email, it automatically spins up threads and apps to start with.

Kuyda, who left Replika last year to found Wabi, said the team realized users love personal software but may not want to spend time building it. She described Wabi 2.0 as combining the capabilities of rival AI assistants like Instinct and Muse with custom app-building. The multiplayer design also allows threads to function as shared group chats, where partners or family members can access shared information such as calendars and to-do lists, with access scoped to individual chats.

Wabi is free for now, and Kuyda said the company is in talks to raise more funds. On privacy, the company is SOC 2 compliant and runs entirely in the cloud, with most user data stored in the U.S.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Wabi 2.0 represents a shift from single-thread AI assistants to multi-threaded, shared experiences that could change how people use AI for personal organisation.
The product brings together app-building and agentic assistance, potentially reducing reliance on traditional app stores for everyday tools.
Kuyda's track record with Replika suggests she understands the emotional side of AI, though Wabi focuses on practical coordination rather than companionship.

Background

Eugenia Kuyda founded Replika, the popular AI chatbot companion, after her earlier startup Luka pivoted from a lifestyle concierge chatbot. She left Replika last year to found Wabi, initially described as a social platform for creating mini apps with prompts. The rapid evolution to Wabi 2.0 reflects the pace of progress in large language models and agentic AI.

Key Perspectives

Eugenia Kuyda (founder): She believes multi-threaded, multiplayer design is a key differentiator, arguing that single-thread experiences get worse over time as context builds up. She sees Wabi as bringing people together rather than isolating them with their own AI. Users: People may appreciate having a custom app ecosystem that requires no building on their part, but they must trust the agent with sensitive data like email and calendar information. Privacy advocates: While Wabi is SOC 2 compliant and offers scoped data access, the cloud-based storage of personal information raises ongoing questions about data security and user control.

What to Watch

Whether Wabi can build a sustainable business model; it is currently free and seeking further funding.
How users respond to the multiplayer group-chat approach compared to single-user assistants like Muse and Instinct.
The company's ability to maintain privacy protections as it scales and adds more data sources.

Sources

Replika’s founder built the AI assistant she pitched at Disrupt 12 years ago · TechCrunch
Replika’s founder built the AI assistant she pitched at Disrupt 12 years ago · Startups | TechCrunch
Replika’s founder built the AI assistant she pitched at Disrupt 12 years ago · AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.

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SupportedReplika founder launches Wabi 2.0, an AI assistant that builds custom appsTechCrunch: “On Monday, Kuyda officially launched Wabi for all users, a multiplayer personal AI assistant... the agent decides what apps to build.”
SupportedEugenia Kuyda's latest venture fulfills the vision she pitched at TechCrunch Disrupt 12 years agoTechCrunch: “Twelve years ago today, Eugenia Kuyda stood up on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt... The technology has finally caught up with her original vision for Luka, just in time for Wabi”
SupportedEugenia Kuyda is the founder of AI companion startup ReplikaTechCrunch: “Replika’s founder built the AI assistant she pitched at Disrupt 12 years ago.”
SupportedWabi 2.0 is a multiplayer personal AI assistant that builds custom apps within a messenger-style interfaceTechCrunch: “Wabi for all users, a multiplayer personal AI assistant that functions as a messenger app... Within each thread, users can build and use custom apps”
SupportedThe concept was first pitched at TechCrunch Disrupt in 2014, before large language models existedTechCrunch: “Twelve years ago today... presented a conversational chatbot called IO... before the deep learning breakthroughs that would eventually lead to today’s large language models.”
SupportedTwelve years after presenting a lifestyle concierge chatbot called IO at TechCrunch Disrupt, Kuyda has launched Wabi 2.0TechCrunch: “Twelve years ago today, Eugenia Kuyda stood up on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt and presented a conversational chatbot called IO that acted as a lifestyle concierge”
SupportedWabi 2.0 launched to all users on MondayTechCrunch: “On Monday, Kuyda officially launched Wabi for all users”
SupportedUsers can maintain multiple agentic threads dedicated to different tasks and long-term goalsTechCrunch: “allowing users to maintain multiple agentic threads dedicated to different tasks and long-term goals.”
SupportedWithin each thread, users can build and use custom apps, such as a weight-loss tracker or an app showing nearby children's eventsTechCrunch: “Within each thread, users can build and use custom apps, like a weight-loss tracker inside a health thread or an app showing neabour children's events inside a family thread.”
SupportedUnlike the initial version launched last year with a $20 million pre-seed round, Wabi 2.0's agent decides what apps to build instead of users creating mini appsTechCrunch: “When TechCrunch covered Wabi’s initial launch last year, along with its $20 million pre-seed round, it was described as more of a social platform where you could create mini apps... With Wabi 2.0, the agent decides what apps to build.”
SupportedWhen connected to a user's email, Wabi 2.0 automatically spins up threads and appsTechCrunch: “The moment you connect it to your email, it automically spins up a number of threads and apps to start with”
SupportedKuyda left Replika last year to found WabiTechCrunch: “Last year, Kuyda left as CEO of Replika and founded Wabi.”