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AIQuiet 10d · day 12

TechCrunch catalogs AI failures: Relay, Sora, ChatGPT Atlas among projects that flopped

Report documents widespread AI casualties from startups and tech giants, including OpenAI's botched super-app redesign and Apple's delayed Siri.

newest coverage 10d agosummary written 10d ago5 pieces1 likes & upvotes1 comments NewswiresMastodonBlueskyHacker News

What to know

  • 42% of corporate AI initiatives are ultimately abandoned, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence—a high failure rate affecting both startups and major tech companies.
  • OpenAI and Apple, among the world's most valuable tech companies, have experienced public AI failures: OpenAI's ChatGPT super-app redesign was rolled back after user backlash, and Apple's Siri AI faced repeated delays leading to a $250 million settlement.
  • Larger platforms consolidating features (Google and OpenAI integrating automation, OpenAI folding ChatGPT Atlas and Operator into ChatGPT) are squeezing out standalone AI startups unable to compete on scale.

“Think of it less as a scorecard of flops than as a record of what these attempts can (hopefully) teach the rest of the industry.”

TechCrunch, Reporting outlet · TechCrunch ↗

OpenAI AI companyApple Technology companyRelay AI workflow automation startupMicrosoft Technology companyS&P Global Market Intelligence Market research firm

TechCrunch catalogs AI failures: Relay, Sora, ChatGPT Atlas among projects that flopped
techcrunch.com

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 1 piece in 3h at Sep 15, 2 PM; 5 pieces over 12 days (1 article · 4 posts) Sep 15, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 15, 5 PM — quietSep 15, 8 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 15, 11 PM — quietSep 16, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 16, 5 AM — quietSep 16, 8 AM — quietSep 16, 11 AM — quietSep 16, 2 PM — quietSep 16, 5 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Sep 16, 8 PM — quietSep 16, 11 PM — quietSep 17, 2 AM — quietSep 17, 5 AM — quietSep 17, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Hacker News 1Sep 17, 11 AM — quietSep 17, 2 PM — quietSep 17, 5 PM — quietSep 17, 8 PM — quietSep 17, 11 PM — quietSep 18, 2 AM — quietSep 18, 5 AM — quietSep 18, 8 AM — quietSep 18, 11 AM — quietSep 18, 2 PM — quietSep 18, 5 PM — quietSep 18, 8 PM — quietSep 18, 11 PM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — quietSep 19, 5 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 11 AM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 5 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietSep 23, 2 AM — quietSep 23, 5 AM — quietSep 23, 8 AM — quietSep 23, 11 AM — quietSep 23, 2 PM — quietSep 23, 5 PM — quietSep 23, 8 PM — quietSep 23, 11 PM — quietSep 24, 2 AM — quietSep 24, 5 AM — quietSep 24, 8 AM — quietSep 24, 11 AM — quietSep 24, 2 PM — quietSep 24, 5 PM — quietSep 24, 8 PM — quietSep 24, 11 PM — quietSep 25, 2 AM — quietSep 25, 5 AM — quietSep 25, 8 AM — quietSep 25, 11 AM — quietSep 25, 2 PM — quietSep 25, 5 PM — quietSep 25, 8 PM — quietSep 25, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 2 PM — quietToday, 5 PM — quiet 12
Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23Sep 24Sep 25yesterdaynow · 8:27 PM ET
  1. 2

    TechCrunch article circulates on Hacker News, Mastodon, and Bluesky

    The report was shared and discussed across multiple platforms, gaining visibility in tech communities.

  2. 1

    Relay, five-year-old AI automation startup, shuts down entirely

    Relay, an AI-powered workflow automation tool designed as an alternative to Zapier, shut down after larger platforms like OpenAI and Google built similar automation directly into their own tools, eliminating Relay's competitive advantage.

    “As OpenAI, Google, and other larger platforms built similar automation directly into their own tools, five-year-old Relay struggled to hold on to a reason to exist as a stand-alone product.”
    — TechCrunch
  3. background

    TechCrunch publishes 'AI graveyard' list documenting failed projects and startups — TechCrunch published a comprehensive report cataloging notable AI products, startups, and bets that have shut down, pivoted, or missed expectations, citing industry data that about 42% of corporate AI initiatives are ultimately abandoned.

  4. background

    OpenAI discontinues ChatGPT Atlas web browser — ChatGPT Atlas, a stand-alone AI-powered web browser that lasted less than a year, was discontinued with its features absorbed into the main ChatGPT application.

  5. background

    Siri AI appears in iOS 27 beta after repeated delays — Apple's long-delayed AI-powered Siri finally appeared in the iOS 27 beta after multiple postponements attributed to engineering issues and bugs. The AI version rolled out to English-language users in September 2026, with other languages to follow.

  6. background

    OpenAI rolls out 'super app' redesign combining Chat, Codex, and Work modes — OpenAI updated ChatGPT to combine multiple experiences into separate 'Chat,' 'Codex,' and 'Work' modes, renaming the traditional version 'ChatGPT Classic.' The redesign immediately drew criticism from users who found it confusing and cluttered.

  7. background

    OpenAI shuts down Sora video platform — Sora, OpenAI's video-sharing platform, shut down after struggling with high operating costs and user-retention challenges.

  8. background

    Microsoft announces Recall feature at Build developer conference — Announced as an AI-powered feature at Microsoft's 2024 Build developer conference, though details in the article trail off.

  9. background

    Apple unveils Apple Intelligence with improved Siri as flagship feature — Apple announced an upgraded Siri at its 2024 Apple Intelligence launch, promising a version that could understand context, track activity across apps, and complete tasks effectively.