Shortwave

Shortwave: AI-Native Email Client for Gmail

Shortwave is AI-native email client built on top of Gmail — does not replace your account, augments it. Shortwave's pitch is that traditional Gmail clients (and even Gmail itself) treat AI as a bolt-on. Shortwave is rebuilt from the ground up assuming AI is the primary interface: every action — triage, draft, search, summarize — runs through AI rather than through pre-AI affordances. Andrew Lee's Firebase credibility and Sequoia backing have made Shortwave the leading AI-native email client for power users.

Key Features

• AI-native email client built on top of Gmail — does not replace your account, augments it
• AI summaries that condense long threads into 2-3 sentence briefings
• AI drafts in your voice trained on your historical sent mail
• Conversational AI assistant that answers questions about your inbox
• Natural-language email search ('find that thread about the contract from Sarah last quarter')
• Founded in 2020 by Andrew Lee (Firebase co-founder, sold Firebase to Google in 2014)
• Backed by Sequoia Capital; rebuilt from the ground up for AI 2023-2025

Ideal Use Case

Knowledge workers and executives who live in Gmail, deal with high email volume, and want AI assistance integrated directly into their email workflow — particularly founders, investors, and operators who get hundreds of emails per day and need triage assistance.

Why Use Shortwave

Shortwave's pitch is that traditional Gmail clients (and even Gmail itself) treat AI as a bolt-on. Shortwave is rebuilt from the ground up assuming AI is the primary interface: every action — triage, draft, search, summarize — runs through AI rather than through pre-AI affordances. Andrew Lee's Firebase credibility and Sequoia backing have made Shortwave the leading AI-native email client for power users.

FAQ

Q: Is Shortwave free? A: Shortwave offers a free tier with limited AI quotas. Paid plans unlock unlimited AI summaries, drafts, and the assistant.

Q: Who founded Shortwave? A: Andrew Lee — co-founder of Firebase (acquired by Google in 2014) — founded Shortwave in 2020.

Q: Does Shortwave work with Gmail? A: Yes — Shortwave is built on top of Gmail. You sign in with your Google account and Shortwave acts as an AI-augmented client on your existing inbox.

Q: Does Shortwave work with Outlook? A: No — Shortwave is currently Gmail-only as of mid-2026.

Q: Shortwave vs Superhuman? A: Superhuman is a speed-focused power-user email client with AI features added over time. Shortwave was rebuilt AI-first from 2023 onward, with conversational assistant and AI search as primary interactions rather than secondary features.

tl;dr

Shortwave is the AI-native email client for Gmail by Andrew Lee (Firebase co-founder). Sequoia-backed. AI summaries, drafts in your voice, conversational assistant, and natural-language search — all built on top of your existing Gmail account.

Related

Looking for more options? Browse the Productivity directory or read our best AI productivity tools listicle. Shortwave is also tracked on Crunchbase.