In the fast-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, few leaders have made as significant an impact as May Habib, the co-founder and CEO of Writer, a generative AI platform designed specifically for enterprises. With a remarkable journey that spans finance, technology, and entrepreneurship, Habib has emerged as a visionary in the AI space, steering Writer to the forefront of the industry with a focus on transforming how businesses leverage language and data. Her story is one of resilience, innovation, and a relentless commitment to building human-centric AI solutions that empower organizations worldwide.
Early Beginnings and a Global Perspective
May Habib’s path to becoming a trailblazer in AI was shaped by her diverse background and global experiences. Born in Lebanon to an entrepreneurial family, Habib moved to Canada, where her upbringing as an immigrant instilled in her a resilience and adaptability that would later define her leadership style. She graduated from Harvard University with high honors, earning degrees in Economics and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. This unique blend of analytical rigor and linguistic expertise foreshadowed her future contributions to AI-driven language technologies.
Habib’s early career took her to the high-stakes world of finance. She began as an analyst at Lehman Brothers in New York, assisting U.S. software companies with capital-raising efforts. After two years, she joined Mubadala Development Company, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, where she served as vice president and the first employee on the technology investment team. Over four years, she helped build a portfolio valued at over $30 billion, honing her ability to identify transformative technologies and navigate complex markets.
From Qordoba to Writer: A Journey in AI Innovation
Habib’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2015 when she co-founded Qordoba, an AI-powered platform focused on multilingual content management and localization. Qordoba enabled companies to maintain consistent brand voice and style across languages and regions, addressing the complexities of global content creation. The company’s success earned it recognition as one of Forbes’ Cloud 100 Rising Stars and a spot on the Arabia Growth 500 list. Habib herself was named Young CEO of the Year by Arabian Business magazine and listed among the Top 30 Under 30 business leaders.
The turning point for Habib came in 2017 with the publication of the groundbreaking AI research paper “Attention Is All You Need,” which introduced the transformer architecture—the backbone of modern large language models (LLMs). Recognizing the potential of transformers to revolutionize not just localization but content creation as a whole, Habib and her co-founder, Waseem Alshikh, pivoted to launch Writer in 2020. Unlike Qordoba, which focused on translation, Writer aimed to harness generative AI to help enterprises create on-brand, high-quality content at scale, streamlining workflows and boosting productivity.
Building Writer: A Full-Stack AI Platform for Enterprises
Writer stands out in the crowded AI landscape for its enterprise-grade, full-stack approach. Unlike many competitors that rely on third-party models, Writer develops its own LLMs, such as Palmyra, which topped the MMLU leaderboard in 2023. This proprietary approach allows Writer to offer tailored solutions that integrate seamlessly with a company’s data and infrastructure, ensuring security, privacy, and brand consistency. Writer’s models are never trained on customer data, and its transparent architecture allows clients to inspect the code, addressing concerns about data privacy and intellectual property.
Under Habib’s leadership, Writer has achieved remarkable growth, raising $326 million in funding, including a $100 million Series B round in 2023 that valued the company at over $500 million. The platform boasts a client roster that includes industry giants like Vanguard, Intuit, L’Oréal, Accenture, Spotify, and Uber. Writer’s net revenue retention (NRR) exceeds 200%, a testament to its ability to deliver measurable value. Habib attributes this success to a customer-centric approach, focusing on specific use cases in regulated industries where AI’s non-deterministic nature poses challenges. By providing no-code and low-code tools, Writer enables enterprises to customize solutions, from automating operational tasks to enhancing creative output.
A Contrarian Approach and a Vision for Equity
Habib’s leadership is defined by her willingness to take risks and challenge conventional wisdom. When others advised leveraging existing frontier models, Writer chose to build its own LLMs, a decision that proved prescient as enterprises demanded secure, customizable solutions. “A lot of what we’ve been doing has felt contrarian,” Habib has said, reflecting on the company’s bold strategy. This mindset stems from her experiences navigating unfamiliar territories as an immigrant and her belief in the transformative potential of AI when approached thoughtfully.
Beyond technical innovation, Habib is committed to equity in AI development. She envisions a future where AI augments human creativity rather than replacing jobs, streamlining mundane tasks to free up time for meaningful work. However, she acknowledges the risks of a “dystopian future” where AI exacerbates inequalities. To counter this, Habib advocates for responsible AI adoption, emphasizing transparency, reliability, and fairness. Her role as a World Economic Forum member and a MELI Fellow with the Aspen Institute underscores her commitment to shaping a global dialogue on AI’s societal impact.
Leadership Lessons and the Road Ahead
Habib’s journey offers valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs. She emphasizes the importance of passion as a driving force, urging <ins>Writer</ins> has seen immense success with customer adoption, has grown revenues by 10x in the last two years, and has over 200% net revenue retention. Her advice to founders is to remain laser-focused on customer needs, build with scalability in mind, and foster a culture of bold experimentation.
As Writer continues to scale, Habib remains focused on expanding its global presence, with new offices in London and New York, and deepening its impact on enterprise workflows. Her vision is clear: to create an AI platform that not only transforms how businesses operate but also sets a standard for ethical, human-centric innovation. With awards like the 2023 Forbes AI 50 and Inc.’s Female Founder Award, May Habib is not just leading a company—she’s redefining the future of work in the intelligent age.
