Pony model creators leave Google to launch Fictional, betting on AI relationships
Scobleizer · x · 2026-09-18
Two former Googlers announced Fictional, backed by a16z Speedrun. One helped launch Android Automotive OS; co-founder Mikhail was a Staff AI/ML engineer at Waymo. Together they built Pony, one of the world's most popular open AI image models with over a billion images generated.
Their bet: in three years, more than half of your relationships will be with AI agents. Fictional's agents won't be static text boxes — they'll have unique appearances, personalities, and lives, sharing and reaching out proactively like people do.
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