Launch HN: Muddy (YC S19) – Multiplayer browser for getting work done

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Product concept & perceived value

  • Multiplayer, Chromium-based browser focused on shared timelines of tabs/apps, annotations, presence, and “rewindable” project history.
  • Seen as especially useful during intense collaboration windows and long-running async projects where work spans many apps.
  • Some users view it as “Google Wave for the web” or a “self-healing Slack channel with tab groups.”
  • Others aren’t sure it fits their single‑player browsing patterns or worry about tab overload in shared spaces.

Comparison to existing tools

  • Compared to Edge Workspaces and Workona: Muddy auto-creates/updates shared tabs from a project timeline, instead of relying on manual curation.
  • Compared to Arc: Muddy optimizes for collaboration and task completion rather than deep customization.
  • Some think it could/should be a browser plugin, but the team says browser/extension APIs are too limiting.

Technical architecture & challenges

  • Built on patched Chromium to enable custom UI in web tech; Electron deemed unsuitable for a full browser.
  • Learned patching via projects like Brave; key challenge is maintaining patches against upstream.
  • Auto-updating on Mac/Windows described as surprisingly hard in 2024.

Platform support & deployment

  • No native Linux build yet; some use Wine with mixed performance and compatibility.
  • Future plan for a self-hostable version (servers, models, CI, branding).

Privacy, security, and open source concerns

  • Multiple commenters stress that a work browser must be auditable; some argue “open source or it’s spyware.”
  • Others note mainstream browsers are closed-source, though some deliberately avoid them.
  • Thread raises questions about what data is sent to servers and how LLM features handle team content; current documentation seen as insufficient.

Collaboration vs chat tools

  • Many like that conversations and comments are attached directly to tabs/resources, potentially reducing “where is X?” Slack chatter.
  • Some teams have reportedly replaced Slack; others think integration with existing chat (Slack/Teams) is essential.

UX, onboarding, and monetization

  • Strong praise for demo, animations, and timeline UX, but criticism of:
    • Aggressive AI upsell on first search.
    • Rigid password rules and sign-up friction, especially on small screens.
  • Monetization expected via paid collaboration and enterprise features, not ads; details remain high-level.