Meta’s newly launched Muse AI agent is now using social media usernames that were previously associated with the English rock band Muse, raising fresh questions about how major platforms handle highly sought-after account names.
The circumstances behind the change remain unclear.
Band’s Accounts Were Renamed Months Ago
Muse, which reportedly trademarked its name in 1999, had used the @muse username on Instagram and X for years.
Fans noticed earlier this summer that the band’s Instagram username had changed to @museband. The Independent reported that the switch took place in July, although Reddit users appeared to notice it as early as June.
By the time Meta officially launched its Muse AI agent on Tuesday, the company was using @Muse for the new product.
The band’s X account has also moved from @Muse to @museband, although it is unclear exactly when that change took place.
Zuckerberg Posts Apparently Tagged the Wrong Muse
The account transition also appears to have caused some confusion inside Meta.
New York Times reporter Mike Isaac pointed out that Mark Zuckerberg’s initial posts about Muse appeared to tag the band’s account instead of the AI agent.
Early posts from other Meta executives reportedly did the same. Isaac said the mix-up was caused by a “bug.”
i just want to note something personally important to me, noticed by @elitanjourno:
MZ did a few versions of this tweet before but i think copypasted from Threads, where the personal agent has the @ muse handle
on this platform it ended up tagging the prog rock band @muse https://t.co/zTkteBL9GG
— rat king
(@MikeIsaac) September 8, 2026
Fans Are Not Happy
Some Muse fans have criticized the change, particularly because the band has frequently explored themes involving technology, surveillance and social control in its music.
Neither Meta nor representatives for the band immediately commented on how the usernames changed hands.
Meta Has Done This Before
This is not the first time a desirable Instagram username has moved to Meta around the launch of a major product.
When Facebook rebranded itself as Meta in 2021, the company later gained control of the @Meta Instagram handle, which had previously belonged to an independent motorcycle magazine.
The magazine’s editor-in-chief later described seeing a much larger company adopt the identity it had used since 2014 as a “punch in the gut.” The publication eventually changed its name.
A similar situation happened when Meta launched Threads in 2023.
The @threads Instagram username initially belonged to fashion retailer American Threads, but Meta gained control of it around a month after launching the platform.
Meta has never provided a detailed explanation of how these transfers were handled.
Valuable Handles Remain a Sensitive Issue
Instagram officially prohibits buying, selling, or trading usernames, although desirable handles have long circulated through unofficial channels.
Similar cases have occurred on X.
The previous owner of the @X username said in 2023 that the company informed him by email that he would lose the handle after Elon Musk rebranded Twitter. He said he was offered merchandise in return.
That same year, the longtime owner of @music also had the username changed so X could use it for an official account.
X has since introduced a dedicated handle marketplace, allowing users to acquire certain inactive usernames through an official system.
For now, Meta has not explained whether it purchased, requested or otherwise obtained the @Muse handles from the band.
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