Linear
Linear is a modern issue tracker and project management tool built for software teams, known for its speed, keyboard-first design, and opinionated workflows.
Overview
Company: Linear (San Francisco) Founded: 2019 Funding: $52M (Series B, Accel) Pricing: Free tier, Standard at $8/user/mo, Plus at $14/user/mo
Why They’re Not a Competitor
Linear tracks what needs to be done. Murphy predicts what will slip.
| Linear | Murphy | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Issue tracking | Delivery prediction |
| Data | Tasks and status | Dependencies and constraints |
| Updates | Humans update status | AI infers from patterns |
| Output | ”Here’s what’s in progress" | "Here’s what’s going to be late” |
The Core Difference
Linear is where work lives. Murphy reads from Linear (or Jira, or GitHub) and predicts delivery risk.
Murphy doesn’t replace Linear—it’s a layer on top. Teams keep using Linear for daily work. Murphy watches the patterns and warns when something will slip.
The Relationship
Murphy integrates with Linear via OAuth:
- Read-only access to issues, cycles, projects
- No data lock-in or migration required
- Linear remains the system of record
- Murphy adds prediction and early warning
When They’d Use Both
An agency using Linear for issue tracking adds Murphy to:
- See cross-project delivery risk
- Get early warning before deadlines slip
- Show clients confidence dashboards
- Identify bottlenecks across the portfolio
Threat Level: Low
Linear could add predictive features, but it’s not their focus. They’re optimizing for speed and simplicity in issue tracking, not delivery intelligence. Complementary products.