Get ready for the whisper-filled office of the future

TechCrunch Desktop Logo TechCrunch Mobile Logo LatestStartupsVentureAppleSecurityAIAppsDisrupt 2026 EventsPodcastsNewsletters SearchSubmit Site Search Toggle Mega Menu Toggle Topics Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture More from TechCrunch Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Contact Us In Brief Posted: 2:15 PM PDT · May 10, 2026 Image Credits:Reza Estakhrian (opens in a new window) / Anthony Ha Get ready for the whisper-filled office of the future How will work setups change if we spend more and more time talking to our computers? A recent feature in the Wall Street Journal looks at the rising popularity of dictation apps like Wispr, especially now that they can be connected to vibe-coding tools, and what that might mean for office etiquette. One VC said that visiting startup offices now feels like stepping into a high-end call center.

And Gusto co-founder Edward Kim is apparently telling his team that in the future, offices will sound “more like a sales floor.” (As someone still scarred from the time his desk was briefly relocated to a sales floor, let me say: Oh no.) Kim claimed that he only types now when he absolutely has to. But he admitted that constantly dictating in the office can be “just a little awkward.” Similarly, AI entrepreneur Mollie Amkraut Mueller said her husband became annoyed with her new habit of whispering to her computer, so their late-night work sessions now involve sitting apart, or “one of us will stay in our office.” But Wispr founder Tanay Kothari insisted that this will all seem “normal” one day, just as it’s become normal to spend hours staring at your phone. Topics AI, Edward Kim, Gusto, In Brief, Startups, tanay kothari, Wispr October 13 – 15 San Francisco Scale faster.

Gain practical expertise. No matter your goal, Disrupt can empower you.Save up to $300 today! REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage.

TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day.

Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. { "title": "Newsletters", "description": "Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news", "showBtn": "1", "newsletters": [,,,], "currentUserEmail": "", "urls": } Related AI Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s longtime COO, is leaving to ‘start something new’ Lucas Ropek 21 hours ago AI Anthropic says it will watermark text generated by its AI models Ivan Mehta 1 day ago AI Mark Zuckerberg’s AI manifesto is exactly why people don’t like AI Russell Brandom 2 days ago Latest in AI Hardware Google unveils Pixel 11 lineup, new AirTag rival, and Gemini features at Made by Google 2026 Lauren Forristal 9 minutes ago AI AI code-testing startup Blacksmith’s valuation jumps almost 10x in less than a year Jagmeet Singh 4 hours ago Venture Accel closes oversubscribed $550M India fund within weeks, 19 months after its last Jagmeet Singh 17 hours ago X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct OpenAI vs AppleNous ResearchSpace Data CentersStaya NadellaSpaceX StarshipTech LayoffsChatGPT © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.