My company bans cloud AI tools. So I built my own.
I'm an engineering manager at a large company where cloud AI is off-limits. No Otter, no Fireflies, no Granola. Anything that sends audio to an outside server is a no-go.
I still needed transcription and meeting summaries. So I built Hoeren, a macOS app that runs entirely on-device, on Apple Silicon. No accounts, no subscriptions, no audio leaving your Mac.
It transcribes meetings, lets you dictate with a hotkey, and summarizes everything with action items. Nothing touches the cloud.
I gave free licenses to a few friends and colleagues. They kept using it. Two weeks ago I shipped it publicly, $49, one-time.
Zero sales so far. Honestly fine with that. I want to know if this solves a real problem for people outside my immediate circle, not just people who owe me a favor.
If your company restricts cloud AI tools, curious how you handle it. Hoeren has a 30-day trial if you want to try it yourself.
