Story of Otter.ai: Founder and CEO - Sam Liang
Story of Otter.ai:
A Passion for AI and Innovation
Sam Liang was born in Beijing, China, and moved to the
United States in 1991. He developed an early interest in computer science,
earning a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University specializing
in large-scale distributed internet systems. Inspired by the innovative tech
environment at Stanford, Sam pursued a career focused on AI.
Early Career at Google
Before founding Otter.ai, Sam led the Google Maps location
platform, contributing to the creation of the “blue dot” feature that tells
users their real-time location—an innovation impacting billions globally. This
gave Sam deep insight into building scalable technology and product impact.
First Entrepreneurial Venture
In 2010, Sam founded Alohar Mobile, a context-aware mobile
platform that collected rich sensor data to understand user behavior. It was
acquired by Alibaba in 2013. During this time, Sam met Yun Fu, who later became
Otter.ai’s CTO, laying the foundation for the startup’s technical leadership.
Founding Otter.ai
In 2016, Sam Liang and Yun Fu founded Otter.ai in Mountain
View, California. The idea stemmed from Sam’s personal frustration with losing
track of crucial information during meetings. Otter.ai was envisioned as an
AI-powered assistant that could transcribe, summarize, and organize meeting
content automatically.
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Early Product Launch
Otter.ai launched its initial product focused on real-time
transcription and captioning for virtual meetings and webinars. It quickly
gained partnerships with major platforms like Zoom, enabling millions of users
to access accessible and searchable meeting notes.
Rapid Growth and Key Integrations
Between 2018 and 2020, Otter.ai expanded capabilities,
including launching Otter for Education, Otter for Teams, and adding AI-powered
meeting notes for Zoom calls. It integrated with CRMs and collaboration tools
like Salesforce and Slack, driving adoption across enterprise users.
Funding and Market Recognition
Otter.ai raised $63 million in Series B funding and
attracted investors who had backed leading tech companies like Tesla, Google,
and Slack. The company was featured by Google Play and Apple App Store as a top
app and recognized by media outlets like Mashable and Fast Company.
Leveraging Generative AI
In 2023, Otter.ai introduced OtterPilot, an AI meeting
assistant that generates automated meeting summaries and captures slide images
automatically. It includes real-time transcription, smart highlights, and AI
chat to answer questions from past meetings.
Mission to Enhance Productivity
Otter.ai aims to remove the friction in meetings by turning
voice conversations into actionable data. Its AI-powered insights help teams
stay organized, track action items, and improve collaboration, ultimately
saving users hours each week.
Vision for the Future
Sam Liang envisions a future where personalized AI avatars
not only capture and organize meeting data but can actively participate in work
interactions on behalf of the user, revolutionizing how teams collaborate and
communicate.
Timeline for Otter.ai and Sam Liang’s Story:
- 1991:
Sam Liang moves to the US from Beijing.
- Early
2000s: Earns Ph.D. at Stanford; works at Google on Maps location platform.
- 2010-2013:
Founds Alohar Mobile, acquired by Alibaba; meets Yun Fu.
- 2016:
Founds Otter.ai with Yun Fu.
- 2018-2020:
Product launches, partnerships with Zoom, and integrations with Salesforce
and Slack.
- 2021:
Raises $63M Series B funding.
- 2023:
Launches OtterPilot and generative AI features.
- Present:
Over 14 million users and 1 billion meetings transcribed, innovating
meeting productivity.
