Otter.ai is moving beyond its identity as a simple meeting transcription service as CEO Sam Liang pushes to redefine the company as a full-fledged enterprise knowledge platform. On Tuesday, the Silicon Valley-based startup launched a new suite of tools aimed at helping businesses transform meeting data into actionable intelligence by connecting it to broader workflows.
The rollout includes an API for custom integrations with platforms like Jira and HubSpot, an MCP server for linking Otter data with external AI models, and a new AI agent capable of searching across meeting notes and presentations.
Liang said the latest evolution marks a major shift in Otter’s mission. “We are evolving from a meeting notetaker to a corporate meeting knowledge base,” he told TechCrunch, emphasizing that meetings are where most organizational knowledge resides.
By creating a centralized repository of recorded insights, Otter aims to eliminate information silos that hinder team efficiency and communication. Liang believes this transition will help companies “scale their growth and drive measurable business value” by ensuring meeting information is shared, searchable, and strategically useful.
The company’s expansion comes amid growing competition in the AI-powered transcription space, with startups like Granola, Circleback, and Fireflies gaining traction since the AI boom began in 2022. However, Liang insists Otter’s enterprise focus and knowledge integration tools set it apart from traditional transcription rivals. Not all meetings will automatically feed into the shared database, as Otter allows organizations to restrict access for confidential discussions. Still, the move raises ongoing concerns about employee privacy and data sensitivity, as meeting recordings can inadvertently capture personal chatter or sensitive exchanges.
Adding to its challenges, Otter is currently facing a class-action lawsuit filed in August, alleging that it recorded private conversations without consent and used them to train its AI models. Liang declined to comment directly on the legal proceedings but defended the company’s practices, arguing that greater access to meeting data is essential for AI innovation. “If they accuse us, they could accuse everyone else doing meeting notes,” he said. “We’re on the right side of history — if you want AI to help, you need to put AI in the meetings.