Ollie privacy-focused AI assistant to shut down on 6 November

Ollie, a startup whose mission was to deliver an AI assistant that respected its users’ privacy, says that it will be shutting down in a week.

Key facts * Ollie was a subscription-based AI assistant designed to help families stay connected and organised ^[1]. * The app connected to users' emails and calendars to manage appointment bookings, meal planning, and bill payments ^[1]. * Ollie was one of the first mainstream apps to achieve SOC 2, a privacy compliance standard attained via an independent audit ^[1]. * The company will provide instructions for customers to export data and receive refunds in the coming days ^[1].

Why is Ollie shutting down? Bill Lennon stated that the pressures of the burgeoning AI industry took its toll on the company because it became harder to stand out and raise necessary capital ^[1]. The text-based AI assistant market has exploded over the past year as increasingly powerful models have made applications more useful for daily tasks ^[1]. Lennon noted that competition from other entities like Muse and Instinct made it difficult for Ollie to succeed ^[1].

What did the Ollie app do? Ollie provided integrated functions for families to manage household tasks such as bill payments and meal planning ^[1]. The assistant was designed to connect to a user’s email and calendar to help with organisation ^[1]. While the app was active, the company also planned to expand into household budgeting ^[1].

How can users get their data? Ollie’s customers will receive instructions on how to export data and receive refunds in the coming days ^[1].