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Plus: OpenAI ends Sora abruptly; DoorDash launches relief program for drivers.
A couple weeks ago, Grammarly apologized for and disabled its Expert Review AI feature that mimicked prominent writers without their permission. The whole thing sparked a lawsuit.
Now, the company’s CEO Shishir Mehrotra is defending the idea behind the tool on The Verge podcast Decoder with journalist Nilay Patel. Patel is one of the writers Expert Review cloned. Bold move by Mehrotra.
During the conversation, Patel asks why Grammarly moved forward with the idea for Expert Review despite not having permission from these writers.
Mehrotra’s response: “For some of (Grammarly’s users), the people they want feedback from are the people they admire. It’s the experts in the world, it’s the people that they’re trying to look up to and trying to model…That was the inspiration behind it. The team and the feature didn’t deliver. It didn’t deliver on either side of it, really. We ended up with an experience that was pretty suboptimal for the user and obviously suboptimal to the expert.”
He then turned a corner, comparing Expert Review’s process to attribution.
“It’s really important to think about attribution and think about impersonation, and so on…When somebody uses your content, should they attribute you? Of course. And to attribute you, you have to use your name.”
From this, Patel questions Mehrotra about at what point he thinks writers should have been paid. There’s no clear response. He pushes again.
“The idea that the feature is impersonation is quite a big stretch.” Mehrotra said.
Patel asks again about payment. Mehrotra again dodges the question.
There’s also one small but important detail Mehrotra is missing. To have something attributed to you, you actually have to say it.
Why it matters: The core issue here is trust — and this approach undermines it on multiple levels. We’ll give Mehrotra props for not canceling the interview altogether, which Patel mentioned was scheduled a month ago, before the backlash and subsequent lawsuit. But the rest of his words are problematic.
When a leader admits something didn’t work very well but still defends the underlying behavior, it reads as missing the point.
The backlash wasn’t about the quality of what Expert Review was trying to do, it’s about ethics, consent and credibility. Mehrotra tries to explain it away with a discussion of attribution versus exploitation. Patel, who was personally impacted by this, makes it clear that isn’t good enough.
By focusing on its execution instead of taking full accountability, Mehrotra risks being seen as willing to create something similar again under different conditions.
That’s not a great look. In a crisis like this, stakeholders want to see clear lines from what went wrong, why it was wrong and how it won’t happen again. That’s missing here.
Instead, the messaging feels like a hedge, acknowledging failure while still justifying the thinking behind it. For a company built on helping people communicate clearly and authentically, this disconnect could be especially damaging.
Editor’s Top Reads:
- DoorDash is offering a bit of goodwill and a few dollars to its drivers amid climbing gas prices. The company announced an emergency relief program, which will provide 10% cash back at the fuel pump with the DoorDash credit card as well as weekly relief payments of $15 for drivers who rack up more than 125 miles during work. “Rising gas prices have a real impact on Dashers, especially those who are delivering the most. This program is about giving Dashers real savings at the pump,” Cody Aughney, DoorDash’s VP said in a release. Economic hardships, like rising gas prices, can be especially tough for gig workers who absorb costs like gas, maintenance and insurance themselves, unlike traditional employees. Gig companies are sometimes seen as treating workers as replaceable. By offering this kind of relief, DoorDash is showing it has their backs, even if it’s a temporary fix, and that makes the relationship feel a little more supportive. This helps them build credibility, both in the public and with their workers. When companies show up in real, tangible ways, people want to support them. Employees are happier and more productive. It’s a reputational win.
- OpenAI shut down its short-form video app, Sora, abruptly yesterday. Even though it had been popular, CNBC reports it was too expensive to run and not a main priority anymore. In a post on X, the company said: “We’re saying goodbye to the Sora app. To everyone who created with Sora, shared it, and built community around it: thank you. What you made with Sora mattered, and we know this news is disappointing.” They added they would follow with more updates soon. The statement itself is pretty clear and plainly spoken. They acknowledged disappointment and thanked users. Not every explanation has to be a novel, but this feels like a jump cut to an end without a hint of reasoning. This could leave people confused or questioning what’s happening inside the company. Of course, OpenAI may not want to overshare financial decisions, but a bit more explanation could help squash speculations. Perhaps the company’s update will shed more light. Whenever that comes.
- Big brands keep getting accused of greenwashing because they’re underexplaining and overpromising. Inc. reports that companies often lean on vague, feel-good language like “sustainable” or “eco-friendly” without clearly showing what that actually means or backing it up with enough proof. As an example, the article points out that H&M designed a “Conscious Collection,” or a line of clothes repurposed from waste materials. They write: “However, critics argued that it’s difficult, if not impossible, for a company selling cheap, trendy clothes to counter the negative environmental effects of producing such high volumes.” The promise and commitment to sustainable clothing is canceled out by their overall business model, so it essentially appears that they’re doing more good than they actually are. When companies promise something, it must be backed up with data, action and resources so people see them as credible and honest. Without this, they risk losing trust.
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
The post The Scoop: Grammarly CEO defends tool that cloned journalists in podcast interview — with host who was cloned appeared first on PR Daily.
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