From Grammarly to Superhuman: Shashir Mehrotra on Building the Next Era of AI Productivity

At NRF 2026, Shashir Mehrotra outlined a bold new vision for the company long known for fixing grammar mistakes. Grammarly is evolving into Superhuman, a broader AI productivity platform designed to embed intelligence directly into the way people already work.

In conversation with Jim Edwards of Fortune, Mehrotra explained how the company is moving from a single writing assistant to a multi-product AI ecosystem that aims to solve what he calls the "last mile" problem of artificial intelligence.

Why Grammarly Rebranded to Superhuman

Since its founding in 2009, Grammarly has grown to approximately 40 million daily users and hundreds of millions in annual revenue. The platform processes roughly 100 billion large language model calls per week.

But Grammarly is no longer just a grammar tool.

With the addition of Coda for documents and Superhuman Mail, the company's ambitions have expanded. The corporate brand has now shifted to Superhuman to reflect a broader strategy: building a full productivity suite powered by embedded AI agents.

Grammarly remains a core product, but Superhuman represents the larger vision of AI that works everywhere users do.

Solving AI's "Last Mile" Problem

Mehrotra argues that most AI tools still require friction. Users must leave their workflow, open a chatbot, ask a question, then return to their original task.

Superhuman takes a different approach. Instead of waiting for prompts, its AI operates directly within over a million applications, from browsers to Slack to Word. The system recalculates assistance thousands of times per user each day, proactively offering suggestions before users even know to ask.

This assistive model contrasts with horizontal AI chat platforms such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, which focus on user-initiated queries. Mehrotra categorizes AI tools into three buckets: assist, chat and do. Superhuman is firmly focused on assist.

The Rise of Embedded AI Agents

A major component of the Superhuman platform is its agent ecosystem. At launch, the company introduced several hundred agents designed for writing, sales, support and other enterprise workflows.

One notable example is an agent based on Radical Candor, the bestselling book by Kim Scott. Rather than reading the book once and shelving it, users can embed its principles directly into their daily communication. The agent provides real-time tone and feedback suggestions while drafting emails.

Beyond writing, agents can integrate with CRM systems, support platforms and internal tools. Instead of being generic, they are personalized to each company's data and workflows.

Superhuman has also opened its platform so developers and creators can publish their own agents, creating an agent marketplace with both free and paid models.

Competing in a Horizontal AI World

Mehrotra acknowledges that Superhuman operates alongside large horizontal players such as ChatGPT. However, he believes specialization is an advantage.

While broad AI platforms ingest vast amounts of general knowledge, Superhuman agents are deeply integrated with specific user systems and enterprise data. The value lies not in general answers but in contextual assistance.

Another differentiator is infrastructure. Approximately 97 percent of Superhuman's AI calls run on its own hosted models, including open source Llama variants. This allows the company to optimize for speed and cost efficiency, critical when recalculating suggestions every time a user types a character.

The result is an AI layer designed to feel less like a separate chatbot and more like a virtual colleague embedded across workflows.

AI in Education and Beyond

One of the most compelling applications Mehrotra highlighted is education.

AI could fundamentally change the student-teacher relationship. Instead of waiting weeks for assignment feedback, students could receive continuous guidance from AI systems modeled after their professors' teaching styles. This concept of "digital twins" for educators mirrors how Superhuman envisions AI agents supporting professionals.

The broader theme is transformation through integration. Whether in writing, enterprise sales or higher education, AI's power increases when embedded into everyday work rather than isolated in separate applications.

Is AI a Bubble or a Foundation?

When asked whether AI is in a bubble, Mehrotra offered a pragmatic perspective.

Bubbles, he argued, can accelerate infrastructure development. Just as the internet boom built broadband networks and cloud computing fueled data center expansion, today's AI investment surge is laying critical groundwork.

Some companies will fail. Some use cases may be premature. But the infrastructure being built, from energy capacity to compute power, will likely support the next generation of enduring technology leaders.

The Takeaway for Retail and Enterprise Leaders

AI adoption is not just about deploying chatbots. It is about reducing friction and embedding intelligence directly into workflows.

Superhuman's strategy illustrates a shift from reactive AI to proactive assistance. The companies that win in the next era will not simply offer AI features. They will integrate AI seamlessly into the tools employees and customers already use.

The next competitive advantage may not be having the biggest model. It may be having the most useful agent, delivered at exactly the right moment.