In a major strategic move, Grammarly announced its acquisition of email startup Superhuman, aiming to transform into an integrated AI-powered productivity platform and challenge tech giants.
Introduction: a deal that reshapes Grammarly
Grammarly, known for its popular grammar-checking tool, has announced the signing of a deal to acquire email efficiency tool Superhuman. This move is part of the company’s ambition to build a comprehensive AI-powered productivity suite and diversify its business beyond simple spelling and grammar checks.
Although the two San Francisco-based companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, it represents a major shift in Grammarly’s strategy as it seeks to rebrand and position itself as a major player in the AI-powered business tools market.
Why Superhuman? More than just email
Superhuman is not just an ordinary email tool. It has gained widespread fame as an exclusive tool designed to make the email experience hyper-efficient and fast. It reached a valuation of $825 million in 2021 and generates annual revenue of around $35 million. The company claims its users send and respond to emails 72% faster, and that the share of messages created using its AI tools has increased fivefold over the past year.
Shishir Mehrotra, CEO of Grammarly, said: “Email remains the world’s dominant communication tool. Professionals spend about three hours a day in their inboxes. Superhuman is the clear leading innovator in this space.”
Grammarly’s ambitions: beyond grammar correction
This acquisition follows Grammarly raising $1 billion in funding, giving it the financial muscle to build a suite of AI-backed work tools. Founded in 2009, the company now has over 40 million daily users and annual revenue exceeding $700 million. The acquisition of Superhuman, following the purchase of startup Coda last year, is a logical next step toward building an integrated platform where AI agents can assist users with research, analysis, and collaboration across different applications.
Product future: what happens to Superhuman?
Mehrotra confirmed that “Superhuman’s product, team, and brand will continue.” He added: “It’s a product that tens of thousands of people use to great effect, and we want to see them continue to make progress.” Rahul Vohra, CEO of Superhuman, will join Grammarly along with more than 100 employees from his team.
Vohra said the deal will give Superhuman access to “much greater resources” and allow it to invest further in artificial intelligence, as well as expand into areas such as calendars, tasks, and collaboration tools.
An integrated vision: AI agents everywhere
The ultimate vision is to integrate Grammarly’s specialized “AI agents” directly into Superhuman. Users will be able to leverage a network of agents that pull data from various digital workflows, such as emails and documents, reducing the time spent searching for information or drafting replies. This vision places Grammarly in direct competition not only with startups, but also with tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce, who are continuously adding AI features to their products.
Conclusion: toward a personal workplace assistant
Grammarly’s acquisition of Superhuman marks a bold step toward realizing the vision of a personal workplace assistant. The company is no longer content with being just a proofreader, but aspires to be the mastermind connecting all productivity tools, making work more efficient and seamless in an AI-dominated era.
