The Note-Taking Arms Race: Who Will Settle on a Standard?

The latest player in the meeting note-taking space is Calendly, which has joined the fray with its own note-taker product. This raises questions about what exactly we’re trying to achieve in this industry, which seems to be racing towards a solution.

Calendly’s note-taker joins meetings, records audio and video, transcribes it, generates summaries and action items, and drafts follow-up emails. The company is also testing a feature similar to Granola’s use of system audio for transcription. Meanwhile, its AI assistant, Callie, will integrate with the existing meeting and scheduling stack to set up meetings, check availability, and surface context from prior meetings.

CEO Tope Awotona claims that Calendly’s focus is on automating workflows for its top users: people in outward-facing roles like sales and marketing whose workdays are inundated with meetings. However, as more companies pour into this space – including meeting note-taking apps like Granola, Fireflies, Read AI, Otter, and Fathom; productivity companies like Notion, ClickUp, and Wispr adding note-taking assistants to their suites – it’s hard not to wonder if there’s a bit of hubris at play.

Calendly’s Awotona suggests that while many note-takers do a good job of recording and transcribing notes, the real opportunity lies in automating tasks after meetings are transcribed. However, companies have been racing towards solutions without necessarily considering what those solutions will look like or how they will be used.

The elephant in the room is the question of privacy. Some companies in this space – including Otter and Granola – are facing allegations of violating user trust. Calendly’s note-taker will inform users that their meeting is being recorded, sending a message to alert everyone to its presence and activity. However, it remains to be seen if this is enough.

In an industry where companies are competing for the attention of users who are increasingly concerned about data privacy, we need to take a step back and ask what exactly we’re gaining from all these note-taking tools. Are they truly making our lives easier, or are they just creating more work in the long run? As we move towards an AI-driven future where meetings can be transcribed and summarized with ease, do we risk losing something essential to human communication?

This space will continue to evolve, and it’s hard not to wonder what other innovations – or missteps – await us on the horizon. What does it say about our industry that we’re so quick to chase after the next big thing without fully considering its implications?