OpenAI, the non-profit behind ChatGPT, has acquired Software Applications Incorporated. Founded by former Apple employees, the team worked on Workflow, which Apple eventually acquired and renamed to Shortcuts.
As part of their new venture, the team has been hard at work on Sky, an AI-powered assistant that can perform actions across any app on your Mac.
OpenAI snaps up the team behind Shortcuts
Ari Weinstein and Conrad Kramer developed Workflow, a powerful automation tool for iOS. Apple acquired Workflow and the team behind the app in 2017. It eventually renamed the app to Shortcuts and integrated it into iOS, macOS and iPadOS.
The two teamed up again after leaving Apple to form Software Applications Incorporated. Earlier in 2025, they teased Sky, which deeply integrates with macOS and uses AI to carry out actions across apps.
The app never officially launched, remaining limited to a small group of alpha testers. MacStories’ founder Federico Viticci went hands-on with Sky in May this year and noted that it would “fundamentally change how I think about my macOS workflow and the role of automation in my everyday tasks.”
The teaser video below from Software Applications Incorporated showcases what Sky aimed to do. It also makes it clear why OpenAI’s acquisition of the team and the app is such a big deal.
This is what sky was supposed to launch this summer, before @OpenAI acquired them.
Apparently these are also the folks behind the workflow app that apple bought and turned into shortcuts so they have deep knowledge of the internals of macOS! https://t.co/4DUHYnyMCE pic.twitter.com/puVgWXRfx4
— Alex Volkov (Thursd/AI) (@altryne) October 23, 2025
OpenAI will integrate Sky into ChatGPT
Nick Turley, VP & Head of ChatGPT, said, “We’re building a future where ChatGPT doesn’t just respond to your prompts, it helps you get things done. Sky’s deep integration with the Mac accelerates our vision of bringing AI directly into the tools people use every day.”
As part of the acquisition, all members of Software Applications Incorporated will join OpenAI. Instead of launching Sky as a standalone app, OpenAI plans to integrate its deep macOS capabilities directly into ChatGPT.
