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1/ Excited to announce Speak has raised a $78m Series C from @Accel at a $1b valuation!
It' a huge milestone for us and continued validation of our founding idea: AI would fundamentally transform learning. 8 years later, we’re well on our way and believe this more than ever. 🧵
Rolling out our AI Tutor Call feature today for Spanish learners. Check it out!
In our initial market Korea learning languages over the phone is very common and this feature is designed to bring that same form factor to everyone at a fraction of the cost or inconvenience.
On the surface, this might feel like just another AI chatbot. The more interesting story is the harness under the hood.
To get this to feel better than just talking to ChatGPT, we needed to solve bilingual speech, ability to drive real teaching moments in a structured manner, a specially trained turn taking model, and a supervisor agent to ensure we're giving the right level of corrections.
This is part of a much wider rearchitecture currently under way at @speak and I'm excited for what we'll be launching over next few months!
Introducing AI Tutor Call. Personal language tutoring, one tap away.
Talk about any topic. Get help in your native language when you’re stuck, with live feedback as you go.
Live today for English and Spanish learners, with more languages coming soon. Your tutor is in your practice tab. Give them a call. 📞
check out more details on technical side here speak.com/blog/the-architect…
It's clear to anyone in harness land that there's going to be 6-12 domain specific harnesses that become dominant at the application layer.
One for each major domain and category of human behavior.
If models are intelligence, harnesses are the digital bodies that perform the actually useful work. But in the real world, that work can be extremely different across domains and require fundamentally different "bodies" to be successful.
At @speak, for example, we're building what we think of as the world's best teaching harness: specialized skills for curriculum planning and feedback, a huge swath of tools for interactive lessons, longitudinal learner memory, and validated proficiency assessment backed by 3rd party studies.
These tools mean that we build trust that we'll actually help you achieve your goal in the long run and our system is accountable for it.
Vertical personal agents and account ownership
I don't buy that there will be one general-purpose personal agent. I think there will be specific agents for:
•productivity / work
•food and grocery
•money
•health
Each of these will be owned by whoever controls the system of record and the right to act. Take money. The money agent should be your bank account and execute transactions on your behalf. It has the ledger, the license, the fraud models, and the liability when something goes wrong. A general agent that "logs into" your bank is a screen scraper with ambition. The bank that becomes an agent is the agent.
The same pattern repeats:
•Food and grocery: Whoever owns the cart, the inventory, and the last mile. The agent knows what's in your fridge because it put it there.
•Health: Whoever holds your records, your labs, and a relationship with a licensed provider. Advice without the chart is a guess. Action without a license is a lawsuit.
•Productivity / work: Whoever owns your calendar, inbox, and docs. Context is the moat, and it already lives somewhere.
Agents win on three things: data, permission, and accountability. A horizontal agent can borrow the first, beg for the second, and has none of the third.
Trust isn't general either. I'll let an agent book my dinner without asking. I won't let the same agent wire $50K or change my medication. Each domain has its own risk tolerance, its own regulation, and its own definition of "done." One agent can't hold all of those thresholds at once.
The general-purpose agent doesn't disappear. It becomes the router. It's the front desk that knows which specialist to call. That's a real product, but it's thin. Routers commoditize, and the specialists capture the value.
The question isn't "who builds the best assistant?" It's "who owns the account the assistant acts on?" The incumbents with licenses and ledgers have a bigger head start than they realize. The startups that win will either become the system of record in a vertical or make themselves impossible to route around.
The future isn't one agent that does everything. It's a handful of agents that each own something.
If I had to bet on the shape of AI at the application layer in a few years
I'd guess there will be ~5 distinct harness categories that reshape the world
And a tutor harness will be one of them
If you want to work on those class of problems check out @speak
45+ startups hiring in this thread:
1. @turbopuffer - remote, NYC, Sf
2. @convex - SF
3. @fal - SF / remote
4. @firecrawl - SF / remote
5. @attio - SF, NYC, London + remote
6. @Linear - North America & EU remote
7. @warpdotco - NYC
8. @speak - SF / Seoul / Tokyo
9. @BrightHarborCo - Austin
10. @Vizcom - SF & US remote
11. @PostHog - NA + EMEA
12. @sievedata - SF
13. @artie_labs - SF & remote
14. @concurrencehq - NYC / SF
15. @spacexai - global
16. @EnclaveAI - NYC, SF, TLV
17. @tweetsbyport - US, TLV
18. @RevelHQ - LA / SF / NYC
19. @SnorkelAI - SF & NYC
20. @neatlogs - remote
21. @BabaHQ - NYC
22. Tremendous - remote (Americas)
23. @nucleussec - Florida / fully remote
24. Searchable - London / Salt Lake City
25. @flytbase - Pune, India
26. Indices - London / SF
27. Duna - across Europe
28. @aiunderwriting - San Francisco
29. @zenml_io - SF
30. @nexcade_ai - London
31. Social Fetch - remote
32. @gumloop - SF + Vancouver
33. @LulaConvenience - US remote
34. CLAR AI - Munich
35. @valkai - NYC / SF
36. @KeycardAI - SF
37. Latent Defense - NY
38. @DataUAcademy - Southeast Asia + global
39. @Nooqbook - remote
40. @saasflashstudio - remote
41. @SkydioHQ - US
42. @NotionHQ - global
43. @Replit - global
44. @forus - NYC
45. @harmonic_ai - NYC
Such a paradigm shift...
This API is what will truly unlock voice AI for the masses.
It was the last unlock for life-like voice interactions with computers.
@speak, we've been working closely with OpenAI on GPT-Live-1 for the past few months, building with an entirely new class of voice model model that continuously listens and speaks at the same time. Here's some of what we learned.
Honored to be a launch parter for @OpenAI new GPT-Live API.
This new model cuts erroneous interruptions by ~80%, essentially solving turn taking. This is a huge deal!
Language learning is a particular challenging use case given how often learners pause to think mid sentence.
Introducing Live Tutor Lessons, powered by @OpenAI GPT‑Live-1: Interactive language lessons with a tutor that get you talking, listens in real time, and helps you find your words. Jump in with a question anytime.
Limited rollout for English and Spanish learners. See it in action ⬇️
We love @indent
Introducing @indent, one coworker for your whole company
Indent is a single agent that is built to work with every member of your team, simultaneously. Instead of every one setting up their own agents, use Indent to build one together.
Try it at indent.com
Connor Zwick retweeted
Tool of The Day - Day 19
name - Speak
→ what it does
an AI language learning app built around helping people actually speak.
instead of focusing mostly on vocabulary, streaks, or passive lessons, @speak pushes users into real conversations from day one.
it combines ┐
- structured lessons
- AI tutoring
- speech recognition
- pronunciation feedback
- roleplay scenarios
- personalized practice
into one speaking-first system.
the goal of that system is to learn a language by using it.
→ why people care
a lot of people spend months or years learning languages and still freeze when it's time to talk.
they understand it in videos.
they know the grammar.
they recognize the words.
but can't make a conversation with it.
Speak removes that gap by creating low-pressure practice where people can talk repeatedly, make mistakes privately, and get immediate feedback.
so instead of waiting for a tutor or language partner, users can practice whenever they want.
→ how people actually use it
people usually open Speak for short daily sessions.
common usage ┐
- practicing English before interviews
- preparing for travel conversations
- improving pronunciation
- simulating real-world situations
- replacing expensive tutors
- building confidence before speaking with native speakers
- maintaining language habits
many users treat it like a daily gym session for speaking.
→ extra proof
- founded by Connor Zwick (@connorzwick) and @adhsu
- backed by OpenAI Startup Fund, Accel, Khosla Ventures, and other major investors
- crossed $100M+ ARR publicly in 2025
- reached 10M+ learners across 40+ countries
- users reportedly spoke over 1B sentences in 2024
- scaled from YC W17 into a unicorn-valued company
your browser makes money from your data, not you, here's a tool that changes that.
Tool of The Day - Day 18
name : 𝘔𝘺𝘯𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴𝘦𝘳
→ what it does
an AI-first browser and search project built around user ownership instead of advertiser incentives.
@mynebrowser combines ┐
- browsing
- search
- AI assistance
- local memory
- wallet functionality
- rewards
- agentic workflows
into one system.
its long-term vision is to let AI actively help with tasks like ┐
- booking travel
- shopping
- research
- managing calendars
- writing emails
- navigating the web
and it keeps your behavioral data local and under your control.
→ why people care
you pay for the internet with their data.
your searches, clicks, scrolls, and preferences generate enormous value for platforms and you rarely see any benefit.
AI increases that tradeoff because conversations reveal intent, context, and how people think.
Myne's idea is simple. if your data creates value, you should control it and participate in that value.
→ people that need it
- privacy-conscious users
- AI power users
- web3 users
- researchers
- founders
- students
- travelers
- indie hackers
- remote workers
- people tired of browser tracking
especially users who want AI assistance without handing over full behavioral profiles.
→ what problem it solves
- invisible profiling
- fragmented browser + AI workflows
- lack of user ownership
- centralized AI incentives
- hidden data monetization
- switching between assistants and browser tools
it aims to turn the browser into something that works for you instead of optimizing around advertisers.
→ how people actually use it
current usage is still mostly early community participation and testing.
projected workflows include ┐
- browsing with persistent AI context
- asking AI to complete multi-step tasks
- managing internet activity from one interface
- participating in reward systems
- shaping browser features through community feedback
the product is still early, so many use cases remain in active development.
→ why this tool stands out
most browsers compete on speed or privacy.
Myne is trying to compete on incentives.
its central idea is that browsers should become aligned systems where:
- data stays local
- participation is visible
- rewards are explicit
- AI serves users directly
it's one of the few projects approaching browsers as an economic and philosophical redesign rather than another browser skin.
→ best features
- local-first user memory
- agentic AI assistants
- proactive task execution
- integrated wallet
- user-owned data model
- explicit value exchange
- community-led access
→ best use case
perfect for ┐
- privacy-first browsing
- AI-assisted internet workflows
- early adopters
- users interested in ownership-based internet products
- people exploring alternatives to ad-funded ecosystems
→ extra proof
- manifesto published May 2026
- 30,000+ people on the waitlist
- community roles and ambassador program ongoing
Connor Zwick retweeted
Great to have @MaxwellAbram drop into the Speak office to chat with @connorzwick and the team about what we're cooking up here at Speak! 🧑🍳🔥
when it comes to learning with ai, it's still 1995 and amazon is an online book store
impossible to comprehend how different humans will approach learning when superhuman tutors are abundant
Over the last 200 years, we've automated away a lot of hard physical labour. But people still go to the gym.
Indeed, many people today are more physically capable than people in the past. We can train systematically for whatever physical goal we want, and it's more fun than hard labour on a pre-modern farm.
@karpathy's hope is that, in the future, the same will be true of learning.
AI tutoring that's tailored to each person will make learning easy, and more people will want to do it. We will be able to go much further than our ancestors.
Connor Zwick retweeted
My dear front-end developers (and anyone who’s interested in the future of interfaces):
I have crawled through depths of hell to bring you, for the foreseeable years, one of the more important foundational pieces of UI engineering (if not in implementation then certainly at least in concept):
Fast, accurate and comprehensive userland text measurement algorithm in pure TypeScript, usable for laying out entire web pages without CSS, bypassing DOM measurements and reflow
Connor Zwick retweeted
"Deep intellectual honesty in the early days is an incredibly important trait for founders."
YC's "magical thinking" framework is the most expensive lie founders tell themselves. @speak CEO @connorzwick
from The Biography Podcast @WouterTeunissen
Connor Zwick retweeted
Hear from @connorzwick with @Forbes on our origin story, winning the US market & long-term vision for the role of AI in education. PS, we're hiring! youtube.com/watch?v=reUmftei…
Connor Zwick retweeted
Innovation usually happens when just when people believe there is a new incumbent.
Seeing millions of learners around the world use Speak to build fluency and confidence has been the most rewarding part of the journey.
Crossing $100M ARR is an exciting milestone and one step toward our goal of building the world’s best superhuman AI language tutor.
What's next? We’re deepening our push in the US, expanding into new languages and growing our enterprise arm. Join us, we're hiring!
forbes.com/sites/rashishriva…
Connor Zwick retweeted
It's been awesome to see over the past few years how @Speak has quietly grown into one of the most successful AI education companies and one of the largest AI consumer startups.
The company is seeing incredible momentum as they cross the $100M ARR milestone, doubling down on the US market & are expanding into new languages early 2026. @Speak for Business – their enterprise arm – continues to see exponential growth across Asia with 500 partners globally including: Sapporo, Nikon, LG U+, HD Hyundai, KPMG among others.
The business has some crazy stats but the two showing depth of engagement are:
-- 40% of monthly users come back daily
-- Users spend 20 mins per day on average in the app, speaking around 40 lines per lesson
Kudos @connorzwick @cgyulay and the amazing Speak team!
Thanks @RashiShrivast18 for telling the @speak story!
We’re pushing hard to make the world’s best AI language tutor available to everyone. Super excited for the slate of new feature launches coming later this year! Stay tuned.
forbes.com/sites/rashishriva…
Connor Zwick retweeted
Have backed @connorzwick and @adhsu founders of @speak since 2016- invested in 6 consecutive rounds starting at $10M.
Pretty damn slow to become a unicorn, but now it’s on. 🚀
• $100M ARR
• 15M downloads
• 40% daily retention
• 120 team
Fun story: on a 2018 call with Connor (while overseas and on the toilet) I upped my investment three times- kept realizing I needed to own more.
They were talking AI and machine learning long before it was trendy.
Thanks @RashiShrivast18 for telling the @speak story!
We’re pushing hard to make the world’s best AI language tutor available to everyone. Super excited for the slate of new feature launches coming later this year! Stay tuned.
forbes.com/sites/rashishriva…
Connor Zwick retweeted
Impressive success in beating Duolingo w AI by @connorzwick and @andrewsu: forbes.com/sites/rashishriva…