The quick read
- Adept’s founding ambition put software actions, rather than conversational answers alone, at the centre of an AI product.
- Read the linked primary sources for the documented company and career context.
The original direction
Adept’s 2022 launch announcement named David Luan among its founders and described an assistant for knowledge work. The company later announced a leadership transition in 2024 involving Luan’s move to Amazon. This profile examines the founding product idea, not a current executive title.
Actions change the design problem
An assistant that edits a document or navigates a business application has to deal with state. A button may have moved, a form may contain incomplete information, or a previous action may already have succeeded. Generating a plausible explanation of the task is different from carrying it out reliably.
Why this chapter remains useful
For builders of software agents, the important design questions concern observation, permission and recovery. What can the agent see? Which actions require approval? How does it recognise a partial failure? A practical pilot could start with reading a screen and preparing a draft, then introduce execution only when the result is inspectable. Luan’s Adept chapter helped frame this product category around doing work in existing software. The enduring challenge is to make each completed action accountable, rather than treating a fluent narrative as proof of completion.
Sources & notes
Source-based profile, not an interview. The cover uses editable typography.
Primary company or founder source
Sources reviewed for the September 2026 launch edition.