NotebookLM, a research tool developed by Google, is undergoing significant changes as key team members depart. This tool, which gained popularity for its podcast feature, was recently expanded with a service for intensive users and businesses. However, three prominent members, including project leader Raiza Martin, are leaving Google to start a new venture. Martin, along with software expert Stephen Hughes and interaction designer Jason Spielman, announced on LinkedIn that they are embarking on a new project. They each spent several years at Google, with Martin being there for five and a half years, Spielman for seven and a half, and Hughes for over eight years.
Martin praised Hughes as a brilliant engineer and Spielman as one of her best collaborators. Although they have not disclosed specific plans, it is likely they secured venture capital given the ongoing AI boom in Silicon Valley. They have launched a placeholder website, Werebuilding.ai, which currently only offers a newsletter sign-up.
Despite these departures, Steven Berlin Johnson, a well-known author and one of NotebookLM’s initiators, remains at Google and continues to promote the tool. Google Labs Chief Josh Woodward expressed enthusiasm for the future of NotebookLM, stating they have many ideas for the coming year and aim to help users communicate effectively by 2025.
The reasons behind Martin and her colleagues’ departure remain unclear. They may have been interested in the initial development phase but not in the commercialization efforts that Google is now pursuing. As a Labs project, NotebookLM allowed its team a startup-like environment with considerable freedom, which Martin, Spielman, and Hughes might now seek to replicate in their new venture. It is uncertain whether their new company will pursue a similar direction or explore a different AI application.
In her farewell message, Martin thanked everyone who supported NotebookLM’s development, particularly early users who shaped the product with their feedback. She expressed confidence that the team and product would continue to excite millions in the future.
NotebookLM recently introduced a long-awaited feature to its podcast functionality, “Audio Overviews.” This feature, praised since its launch, creates realistic-sounding audio broadcasts from documents. It now allows users to “call in” and ask questions to AI hosts during these sessions, although this feature is still in beta and not widely available.
Google has also redesigned NotebookLM’s interface, with a desktop-like customization option to enhance workflow. This design, partly attributed to Spielman, is part of a “Studio” concept that Martin described as a powerful interface to manage important user inputs, creating an AI-driven editor.