Some of the key people behind Google’s viral AI podcasting app NotebookLM have launched a new startup, and it just unveiled its first product.
NotebookLM went viral last year for letting users create AI-generated podcasts about any topic they liked. Some even called it Google’s ChatGPT moment.
NotebookLM team lead Raiza Martin, designer Jason Spielman, and engineer Stephen Hughes learned from building the app that a surprising number of people actually learn best through audio—not necessarily through text like ChatGPT. They also learned that building a product outside a tech giant like Google is much faster.
So, in December 2024, they left Google to launch their own startup, Huxe, which has been operating in stealth mode ever since. On Thursday, it launched a consumer AI app that connects to users’ email, calendar, and other personal feeds and generates a daily audio briefing tailored just for them.
“People just really seem to digest information more clearly when it’s in that audio form,” Spielman told Business Insider.
Huxe declined to disclose its investors and what it’s raised so far. San Francisco venture firm Conviction is one investor, according to an X post from its partner Pranav Reddy.
Huxe creates personalized audio
Huxe aims to create a personalized feed of AI audio content so users spend less time locked onto their screens and focus more on experiencing the world around them, Martin told Business Insider.
Here’s what a daily audio briefing from Huxe could go like, Martin says: Good morning! Here are your latest emails. This person has followed up five times — here’s what they want. Also, here’s what’s going on with your meetings today and some headlines you’ll care about.
Huxe also has a feature called Instant Deep Dive, where users can ask any question, like “What just happened with Nvidia earnings?” or “Summarize OpenAI’s latest releases,” and get an informative audio response. Users can also interrupt Huxe or ask it questions in real time.
Huxe publicly launched the product Thursday, though it is initially only available to a select group of users. It’s still early and the product could change, Huxe’s cofounders said.
Building outside Google was much faster
Martin said she was shocked at how quickly they were able to build the first version of Huxe. It only took about a month, she says, mostly because she could just make a decision without needing any approvals from other people.
“I think it was just very different building outside of Google,” Martin said. “It was great, especially for testing a concept.”
Spielman has been clear that the idea of Google being slow is a “misconception,” he said in a podcast with Sequoia Capital. Still, Google’s bureaucracy has gained some infamy in Silicon Valley, and a former Googler has even created a presentation comparing this bureaucracy to “slime mold.”
Building out of fear isn’t the answer
Huxe began as an app that lets businesses chat with their data by connecting to tools like Salesforce.
While Huxe has since pivoted to focus on consumers, the founders kept a key idea from the original version of Huxe: integrating with your existing apps so the AI can talk across your tools.
Still, Huxe faces the risk that a tech giant ends up launching something quite similar and stealing its thunder.
Google said at I/O last month that it wants Gemini to be a super-helpful assistant that connects to Gmail and other apps. OpenAI also lets business users connect with Google Drive and use a “record mode” to take notes on meetings.
NotebookLM hasn’t left the scene, either, and still generates podcasts on specific topics. Google announced Tuesday that it now supports sharing NotebookLM notes publicly.
In the end, Martin said you can’t build while looking over your shoulder, especially when AI changes so rapidly.
“It’s hard to be creative and focused when you’re in a state of fear,” she said. “The newest products that are going to be our everyday products in the future are still to be discovered.”
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