Andrew Lee on running an AI email startup

Andrew Lee is the co-founder of Shortwave, an AI-powered email app. He’s also Tim’s brother.

Andrew shares how Shortwave evolved from a conventional email app into a multi-LLM system that automates inbox organization, drafts messages, and performs advanced search via agentic reasoning. He explains how recent improvements in model performance have dramatically changed what is possible for an app like Shortwave. He discusses which models Shortwave uses, the tradeoffs between open and closed models, and where AI-powered email is going next.

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