Silicon Valley's favorite fantasy is back: one app to rule them all
Major tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are shifting their strategies toward 'super apps' powered by AI. By consolidating various functions into a single interface, these firms aim to make AI agents the primary gateway for user interaction.
Why it matters
This trend signals a fundamental shift in software design, moving away from specialized apps toward centralized AI-driven ecosystems that could redefine how users interact with digital services.
One app to rule them all, and the AI to bind them. YUICHI YAMAZAKI/AFP via Getty Images Tech companies are making moves to build their own "super apps." It's an old Silicon Valley vision, but one AI might just make good on. Google is the latest to indicate it's going in this direction after Microsoft and OpenAI. Silicon Valley has spent years obsessing over "super apps" that can do it all. AI is powering a new version of that dream. Just take Google, which last week did the most Google thing it could: it killed a product. This wasn't your textbook Google assassination . The company announced it was axing its new AI Studio app — a mobile companion to its AI developer playground — before it even launched, despite 800,000 people having pre-installed it.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in