Grammarly Acquires Email Startup Superhuman for AI Leap
Grammarly has agreed to acquire Superhuman, a premium email tool, as part of its broader strategy to build an AI-powered productivity platform. While financial details of the deal remain undisclosed, Superhuman was valued at $825 million in 2021 and currently generates $35 million in annual revenue.
This move comes shortly after Grammarly raised $1 billion from General Catalyst. With over 40 million daily users and more than $700 million in yearly revenue, Grammarly is shifting beyond its grammar-checking roots. The company is exploring a rebrand to reflect this broader ambition. Its CEO, Shishir Mehrotra, emphasized the importance of email in the modern workplace, noting, “Email continues to be the dominant communication tool for the world.”
Superhuman has raised over $110 million from investors such as IVP and Andreessen Horowitz. It built a loyal user base by promising faster email management, aided by AI. In the past year alone, the volume of emails composed with its AI tools has increased fivefold. Nevertheless, the company now faces growing pressure from competitors like Google and Microsoft, both of which are integrating AI features into their email services.
Strategic Integration and Continued Innovation
According to Grammarly executives, Superhuman will maintain its product, team, and brand. Rahul Vohra, CEO of Superhuman, will join Grammarly and continue leading the product alongside over 100 employees. Mehrotra affirmed, “The Superhuman product, team, and brand will continue. It’s a very well-used product by tens of thousands of people, and we want to see them continue to make progress.”
The acquisition builds on Grammarly’s prior purchase of the productivity startup Coda. That acquisition allowed Grammarly to develop AI agents for tasks like research, collaboration, and analysis. Now, the integration of Superhuman is seen as the next logical step in expanding Grammarly’s reach across key work applications.
Vohra stated that Superhuman will gain access to “significantly greater resources.” He also mentioned plans to broaden its scope by introducing tools for calendars, tasks, and team collaboration. Together, both companies aim to incorporate Grammarly’s AI agents directly into Superhuman’s interface.
Competing in a Crowded AI Productivity Market
The long-term goal is to create a connected AI system that pulls data from emails, documents, and other work sources. This will help users reduce time spent searching for information or drafting responses. Mehrotra explained, “Professionals spend something like three hours a day in their inboxes. It’s by far the most used work app, foundational to any productivity suite.”
Despite its strong foundation, Grammarly faces stiff competition. Major tech companies like Salesforce, along with numerous AI startups, are also racing to create comprehensive productivity ecosystems.
With Superhuman now on board, Grammarly is positioning itself to be a major contender in this evolving space.
