Mac Power Users 815: Automation Update with Sal Soghoian
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Sep 21, 2025 
This week, Sal Soghoian, former Product Manager of Automation Technologies at Apple and current advocate at Omni Group, shares his deep insights on automation. He recounts his journey at Apple, highlighting how he championed automation across teams. Sal dives into the renaissance of AppleScript and the innovative use of on-device AI in productivity apps. He offers practical tips for beginners, including exploring tutorials and community resources, and shares his predictions for the future of automation in 2025.
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Voicemail-Free At Apple
- Sal never checked voicemail at Apple for 20 years and negotiated to have it disabled.
- He handled urgent requests via personal networks and playful signals like a Baby Ruth on his door.
AppleScript's Architectural Advantage
- AppleScript's Apple Event architecture enables interapp communication that non-programmers find powerful.
- That underlying architecture is why AppleScript remains uniquely useful on the Mac today.
Check AI-Generated Scripts First
- Inspect AI-generated AppleScripts for risky commands like delete or do shell script before running them.
- Use forums and communities to vet scripts and ask others before executing unknown code.