Midjourney has acquired Co-Star, a leading personalized astrology app, in a strategic move that signals the AI image generation company is expanding into broader consumer applications. Co-Star founder Banu Guler will join Midjourney as Chief Design Officer, bringing expertise in product design, consumer engagement, and AI-powered personalization. The financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal closed in spring 2026.

This acquisition marks Midjourney's first known major purchase since emerging as one of the leading players in generative AI. The move reflects founder David Holz's previously outlined ambitions to develop AI-powered world simulations, video generation, and real-time interactive experiences beyond static image creation. Rather than acquiring Co-Star primarily for its astrology technology, industry observers view the deal as a strategic acquisition of consumer product expertise, design talent, and engagement capabilities.

Why Is Midjourney Moving Beyond Image Generation?

Co-Star has built one of the largest consumer audiences in the astrology app market by combining artificial intelligence with personalized content. Founded in 2017, the app serves millions of registered users worldwide and is known for its distinctive minimalist design language, personalized astrological readings, AI-generated daily insights, and social features that compare birth charts between users. The platform operates as a subscription-based service rather than a traditional horoscope app, making it one of the most successful consumer AI applications in the market.

Bringing Guler and the Co-Star team into Midjourney is expected to strengthen the company's design capabilities as it pursues more immersive AI products. Guler is widely recognized for building Co-Star into one of the most distinctive consumer AI applications, combining strong visual design with highly personalized recommendations and social engagement. Midjourney founder David Holz stated that Guler and her team will help the company build its first apps, including one dedicated to image generation, as Midjourney currently houses its AI models on the web and through Discord.

What Does This Mean for Midjourney's Product Roadmap?

The acquisition could help Midjourney accelerate development in several key areas beyond its core image generation business:

• AI-Powered Consumer Products: Expanding beyond professional creative tools into applications designed for everyday users seeking personalized AI experiences.
• Personalized Digital Assistants: Building AI systems that learn user preferences and deliver customized recommendations, similar to Co-Star's approach.
• Interactive Virtual Experiences: Creating immersive environments where users can engage with AI in real-time, moving beyond static content generation.
• AI-Generated Storytelling: Developing narrative-focused applications that combine image generation with dynamic content creation.
• Next-Generation Creative Tools: Building intuitive interfaces that make advanced AI capabilities accessible to non-technical creators.

For Midjourney, strengthening its product design capabilities could become an important competitive advantage as AI companies increasingly compete on user experience rather than model performance alone. The company faces intensifying competition from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Meta, and xAI, all of which are investing heavily in AI assistants, multimodal models, creative tools, and personalized digital experiences.

How Will Guler Shape Midjourney's Future?

As Chief Design Officer, Banu Guler will lead several critical initiatives for Midjourney:

• Product Design Strategy: Overseeing the visual and interaction design of all Midjourney products to ensure consistency and user-friendliness across applications.
• User Experience Improvement: Enhancing how users interact with Midjourney's existing tools and new applications, drawing on her experience building Co-Star's intuitive interface.
• Consumer Application Expansion: Guiding the development of consumer-facing AI applications that extend beyond professional creative workflows.
• Intuitive AI Interface Design: Building interfaces that make complex AI capabilities accessible to mainstream users without technical expertise.
• Future AI Experience Development: Shaping how Midjourney's AI systems interact with users across multiple product categories and use cases.

Guler's track record at Co-Star demonstrates her ability to build highly engaging subscription-based consumer applications. Her expertise in combining strong visual design with AI-driven personalization directly addresses a critical gap in Midjourney's current product portfolio, which has focused primarily on professional and creative users rather than mainstream consumers.

What Does This Signal About the Broader AI Market?

Midjourney's acquisition of Co-Star represents more than a traditional technology acquisition; it highlights the growing importance of product design and consumer engagement in the next phase of artificial intelligence. As competition among AI companies increasingly shifts toward usability, creativity, and personalized experiences, investments in product design and consumer-facing innovation may become as strategically important as advances in AI model performance.

The deal also reflects a broader industry trend where AI companies are expanding beyond their core competencies. Rather than competing solely on model capabilities, leading AI firms are now acquiring talent and products that help them deliver better user experiences and reach new consumer markets. For Midjourney, this acquisition signals confidence that the company's long-term value lies not just in generating images, but in building a comprehensive platform of AI-powered consumer experiences that rival the engagement levels of established tech giants.