The Pomp Podcast
#1275 Cliff Weitzman | This Immigrant Just Helped 25 Million People Read
- Speechify has achieved 25 million users by converting text to speech at speeds reaching 700 words per minute, enabling listening while multitasking.
- AI-generated voices now achieve near-human quality through training on hundreds of millions of hours of speaker data and continuous A-B testing with real users.
- Cliff Weitzman and his brother Tyler built Speechify partly to solve dyslexia and ADHD access issues; the company now serves doctors, lawyers, executives, and professionals who listen 2–3x faster than reading.
- Text-to-speech technology is expanding into B2B applications including podcaster scripts, voice cloning with permission, and translation between languages while preserving emotional tone.
- AI audio detection tools are being developed to identify synthetic voices, similar to fact-checking for text, addressing deepfake and misuse concerns.
- Speechify aims to shift from screens to audio-first interfaces, eventually recommending content like TikTok does but for knowledge and business use through team features.