The New Stack Podcast How Shortwave Wants To Reinvent Email With AI
Jul 3, 2025
Andrew Lee, co-founder of Shortwave and Firebase, dives into the transformative journey of his AI-first email client. He shares how Shortwave evolved from basic enhancements to deploying sophisticated AI capabilities, including tool-calling agents that tackle complex tasks autonomously. Lee highlights the impressive advancements seen in AI, particularly from Anthropic, and envisions a future where AI proactively manages emails and personalizes interfaces. This innovative shift promises to redefine productivity in email management.
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Google Inbox Innovation Story
- Google Inbox was a Gmail redesign that tested new ideas but was ultimately killed despite its popularity.
- This experience exemplifies how large companies struggle with innovation in mature products.
Beyond Keyword Search with Embeddings
- Shortwave leverages embeddings combined with multiple databases for powerful semantic email search.
- This system surpasses Gmail's keyword search by indexing conceptual information.
Anthropic Models Excel at Tool Calling
- Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 3.5 enables AI agents to call multiple tools sequentially, boosting reasoning.
- This advancement marks a radical improvement over earlier AI models limited to single tool calls.