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Oliver Buchannon
Amanda Smith

Amanda Smith is a freelance journalist and writer. She reports on culture, technology, and human interest. Her work has been published in highly respected titles including The Guardian, Business Insider, and National Geographic. Amanda is a regular contributor at CNET, where she’s covered AI since 2024.

They hit unicorn status faster than nearly any AI company in history

Founder stories

+2

They hit unicorn status faster than nearly any AI company in history

70 people. $50M ARR. Zero marketing.

BYAmanda Smith

/

Apr 9, 2026

This founder built a faster way to test software

New/Upcoming AI Startups

+2

This founder built a faster way to test software

Ship faster and break less

BYAmanda Smith

/

Apr 2, 2026

This founder’s AI tool helps fund retirements

New/Upcoming AI Startups

+2

This founder’s AI tool helps fund retirements

He’s making financial planning fun

BYAmanda Smith

/

Mar 26, 2026

The one-person AI company is here

The one-person AI company is here

How a single operator can now build and scale a business with AI tools alone

BYAmanda Smith

/

Mar 24, 2026

This founder is building AdSense for AI

New/Upcoming AI Startups

+2

This founder is building AdSense for AI

Monetization is built into the experience, elegantly

BYAmanda Smith

/

Mar 19, 2026

She built AI shopping agents before ChatGPT

New/Upcoming AI Startups

+2

She built AI shopping agents before ChatGPT

Now she’s building Wizard alongside former Walmart e-commerce CEO Marc Lore.

BYAmanda Smith

/

Mar 12, 2026

This first-time founder is doing $250M+ a year

This first-time founder is doing $250M+ a year

Also inside: the AI answering 800,000 calls, a $42M creative AI startup, and social AI in group chats.

BYAmanda Smith

/

Mar 11, 2026

The founder behind the AI answering 800,000 calls

New/Upcoming AI Startups

+2

The founder behind the AI answering 800,000 calls

Inside the startup reinventing the business phone.

BYAmanda Smith

/

Mar 5, 2026

Two very different bets on AI

Two very different bets on AI

Royalties for writers and a personal brand turned product

BYAmanda Smith

/

Mar 3, 2026

This career coach turned herself into an AI recruiter

AI in HR & Hiring

+2

This career coach turned herself into an AI recruiter

She productized herself

BYAmanda Smith

/

Feb 26, 2026

This founder is building the new AI royalty model for authors

Founder stories

+2

This founder is building the new AI royalty model for authors

AI might turn out to be great for writers

BYAmanda Smith

/

Feb 19, 2026

At 55, she bet her retirement on an AI company

At 55, she bet her retirement on an AI company

Plus creative tools changing design and AI-powered filmmaking.

BYAmanda Smith

/

Feb 18, 2026

The 55-year-old first-time AI founder

New/Upcoming AI Startups

+2

The 55-year-old first-time AI founder

She pulled money from her retirement to create the prototype

BYAmanda Smith

/

Feb 12, 2026

This founder raised $42M to bring every creative AI model in one interface

Founder stories

+2

This founder raised $42M to bring every creative AI model in one interface

The creative team of the future

BYAmanda Smith

/

Feb 5, 2026

How a New York professor became an award-winning AI producer

Solo AI Builder/No code

+2

How a New York professor became an award-winning AI producer

She’s an AI-enhanced video pioneer

BYAmanda Smith

/

Jan 30, 2026

ICYMI The founder bringing AI into IVF

ICYMI The founder bringing AI into IVF

Plus restaurant AI, HR tooling, and social agents.

BYAmanda Smith

/

Jan 27, 2026

This “retired” software engineer bootstrapped his AI HR platform

AI in HR & Hiring

+2

This “retired” software engineer bootstrapped his AI HR platform

No VC money needed

BYAmanda Smith

/

Jan 22, 2026

The ex-Meta research scientist building an AI chief-of-staff

New/Upcoming AI Startups

+2

The ex-Meta research scientist building an AI chief-of-staff

No more digital drudgery...

BYAmanda Smith

/

Jan 15, 2026

This ex-Google engineer’s $8M bet on social AI

New/Upcoming AI Startups

+2

This ex-Google engineer’s $8M bet on social AI

His ideal user might surprise you

BYAmanda Smith

/

Jan 8, 2026

Why a former Google and Tinder exec is going all in on restaurant AI

New/Upcoming AI Startups

+2

Why a former Google and Tinder exec is going all in on restaurant AI

She built at Meta and LinkedIn, then quit to launch an AI agent inside real restaurants

BYAmanda Smith

/

Dec 18, 2025

The founder pioneering fertility’s AI revolution

New/Upcoming AI Startups

+2

The founder pioneering fertility’s AI revolution

She’s an ex-patient and biomedical engineer

BYAmanda Smith

/

Dec 11, 2025

ICYMI: How Dex is changing recruiting

ICYMI: How Dex is changing recruiting

And the healthcare AI tackling admin plus the first-time founder competing with OpenAI.

BYAmanda Smith

/

Dec 9, 2025

This first-time AI founder is doing $250M+/year

Founder stories

+2

This first-time AI founder is doing $250M+/year

Going shoulder-to-shoulder with Google & OpenAI

BYAmanda Smith

/

Dec 4, 2025

How this ex-LinkedIn product lead is using AI to fix healthcare

AI in Healthcare

+2

How this ex-LinkedIn product lead is using AI to fix healthcare

Disrupting archaic healthcare admin

BYAmanda Smith

/

Nov 25, 2025

How this a16z-backed AI founder is fixing hiring

AI in HR & Hiring

+2

How this a16z-backed AI founder is fixing hiring

He’s rewriting the rules of hiring

BYAmanda Smith

/

Nov 20, 2025

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