Raycast co-founder Thomas Paul Mann launched Glaze on July 1, a Mac app that builds native Mac apps from plain English descriptions. The apps run offline, live in the dock, and can be shared publicly or with a team. Raycast has over 300,000 daily users, has raised more than $47 million from Accel, Coatue, and Atomico, and now has Mann betting that 30 to 50 percent of software on your Mac will be self-made within three years.
Mann's core argument is that commercial software fails by design: companies stack features until the product becomes an obstacle. Glaze is his answer, targeting a market of one. Coming within weeks: Glaze Pro subscribers get direct access to language models and image generation through their subscription, no API keys required. His read on AI and jobs is also worth noting: junior and senior engineers benefit most, the mid-level engineer is in trouble.
The full conversation is the reason to read this. Casey Newton built a Nightwing-themed to-do app and a searchable archive of every column he has written, one of which became a weekly-use tool. Mann's critique of bloatware and his prediction about personal software are specific and argued, not vague. Glaze is also running a $10,000 contest for the best app built on the platform, with Newton as a judge.
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