Some of the key people behind Google's Viral AI Podcasting App NoteBooklm have announced new startups and have unveiled their first products.
Last year, Notebooklm allowed users to create AI-generated podcasts on their favorite topics. Some people call it Google's ChatGpt Moment.
Leading the Notebooklm team, Raiza Martin, designer Jason Spielman, and engineer Stephen Hughes have learned from building apps that an astonishing number of people actually learn best through audio. They also learned that it's much faster to build products outside of tech giants like Google.
So in December 2024, they left Google and launched their own startup Huxe, which has been running in stealth mode ever since. On Thursday, I launched a consumer AI app that connects to user emails, calendars and other personal feeds, generating daily audio briefings tailored just for them.
“People seem to be digesting information more clearly when they're in that audio form,” Spielman told Business Insider.
Huxe refused to disclose any previous raises with investors. According to X's post from partner Pranav Reddy, the San Francisco venture company's conviction is one investor.
Huxe creates personalized audio
Huxe aims to create personalized feeds of AI audio content, so users are locked less on the screen and focus on experiencing the world around them.
Here's what a daily audio briefing from Huxe will look like, Martin said: good morning! This is your latest email. This person has been followed up five times. This is what they want. There are also some headlines that you will be concerned about what is going on in your meeting today.
Huxe also has a feature called Deepcast that lets users ask questions such as “What happened with Nvidia's revenue?” Alternatively, “Summary of the latest release of Openai” and get useful audio responses. Users can also interrupt Huxe and ask questions in real time.
Huxe unveiled its product on Thursday, but it will initially be available only to user groups from the selected group. It's still too early and the product could change, said Huxe co-founder.
Construction was much faster outside Google
Martin said he was shocked at how quickly he could build the first version of Hakse. Because she was able to make decisions without the need for approval from others.
“I think the buildings outside of Google were very different,” Martin said. “It was great to test the concept in particular.”
Spielman said the idea that Google is slow has become apparently a “misunderstanding,” he said on a Sequoia Capital podcast. Still, Google's bureaucracy has gained some notoriety in Silicon Valley, and former Googlers have created a presentation comparing the bureaucracy to “slime-shaped.”
Building out of fear is not the answer
Huxe started out as an app that allows businesses to chat with data by connecting to tools such as Salesforce.
Huxe has since tried to focus on consumers, but the founder has maintained a key idea from the original version of Huxe. Integrate with existing apps so that AI can speak beyond tools.
Still, Huxe faces the risk of a tech giant launching something very similar and stealing its lightning.
Google said last month in I/O that it wanted Gemini to be a very generous assistant connecting to Gmail and other apps. Openai allows business users to connect to Google Drive and use “Record Mode” to take notes about meetings.
Notebooklm hasn't left the scene either, generating podcasts on a particular topic. On Tuesday, Google announced it is publicly supporting sharing of Notebooklm Notes.
Finally, Martin said he can't build while looking over his shoulder, especially when AI changes rapidly.
“It's difficult to be creative and focused when you're in a state of fear,” she said. “The latest products that will become our everyday products in the future are still being discovered.”
