From spelling checker to AI powerhouse: the rapid evolution of Grammarly
In short: What began in 2009 as a simple tool for students to fix grammar has transformed into a massive AI ecosystem. Now operating under the Superhuman brand, the platform has moved from basic spell-checking to generating entire essays and predicting academic grades.
Founded in Ukraine by Alex Shevchenko, Max Lytvyn, and Dmytro Lider, Grammarly initially focused on subscription-based grammar and spelling corrections. By 2015, the company had reached one million daily active users and adopted a freemium model, offering basic features for free while gating advanced tools like plagiarism detection and stylistic recommendations behind a paywall.
The company's trajectory shifted significantly with the integration of generative AI. In April 2023, it launched a product built on GPT-3 models. By 2025, the platform had expanded into a suite of generative tools capable of writing essays from scratch, suggesting citations, and even 'humanizing' text to bypass AI detection. This era also saw massive financial growth, including a $1 billion funding round from General Catalyst in May 2025.
However, this rapid expansion has not been without controversy. In 2026, the company faced a federal class-action lawsuit and significant criticism over its 'Expert Review' feature. Launched in August 2025, the tool used simulations of famous authors—including Stephen King and Carl Sagan—to provide writing advice without obtaining their permission. The feature was discontinued in March 2026, the same day the lawsuit was filed by journalist Julia Angwin.
As the company rebranded its parent entity to Superhuman in October 2025 following the acquisition of the Superhuman email client, it continues to navigate the complex intersection of AI and authorship. While some users praise its ease of use, others worry about the reduction of creative freedom and the difficulty schools face in regulating AI-assisted writing.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Grammarly
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