Overlord, a San Francisco-based startup from Y Combinator’s Winter 2023 batch, has launched a new AI-powered productivity platform designed to act as what its founders call a “hardcore AI accountability partner.” The product aims to replace self-control with automated enforcement by continuously monitoring user behavior and intervening when goals or habits are violated.
According to the company’s product description, Overlord is built to function like “somebody following me around 24/7” who understands a user’s goals, routines, and weaknesses, and can take action to keep them on track. The founders describe the system as creating “invisible guardrails” around daily life rather than relying on motivation or reminders alone.
An AI that watches, decides, and intervenes
Unlike traditional productivity apps that focus on goal tracking or notifications, Overlord integrates deeply with user devices and services to enforce pre-committed rules. The platform connects with Mac monitoring, iOS Screen Time, Android screen blocking, Apple Health, Apple Shortcuts, iMessage, Calendar, Google Fit, and IFTTT, allowing it to observe activity across work, health, and personal routines.
Based on these inputs, Overlord can lock users into work sessions, restrict access to distracting apps, trigger routines when specific actions occur, or require proof of completed tasks through photos, videos, timelapses, or integration data. The company says users can interact with the system through messages, calls, and media uploads, effectively treating the AI as a persistent accountability partner rather than a passive tool.
In its current configuration, Overlord can control screen time, initiate morning routines, and enforce focused work sessions on Macs. The system is also designed to support Pomodoro-style phone and desktop locking, reinforcing periods of uninterrupted work.
From Forfeit to Overlord
Overlord was founded by Josh Mitchell (CEO) and Eddie Raven (CTO). The pair previously launched Forfeit, an accountability app introduced in 2023 that imposed financial penalties when users failed to meet their commitments. That product has since been pivoted into Overlord, which expands the accountability concept using AI-driven monitoring and automation rather than relying primarily on monetary consequences.
The founders say Overlord has been in private testing for around a year, during which users sent hundreds of thousands of interactions to the system. The public launch marks the company’s first broad attempt to position the product as a general-purpose AI accountability layer for daily life.
Mitchell brings prior experience in hardware and product development. According to his LinkedIn profile, he previously co-founded Plybot with venture firm Hangar 75 and Brook Drumm, founder of PrintrBot, to commercialize an inexpensive consumer 3D printer originating from a science fair project. The company raised seed funding across 2018, 2019, and 2020, and launched on Kickstarter in early 2021, raising $175,000.
Mitchell also won The Big Bang UK Young Engineer of the Year 2018 award for Plybot, a project centered on accessible manufacturing through 3D printing.
Productivity, privacy, and the trade-off
Overlord enters a growing market for AI-powered personal assistants that do more than respond to prompts. By embedding itself deeply into operating systems and personal data streams, the platform raises questions about privacy and data boundaries, a trade-off the founders argue is necessary to achieve meaningful accountability.
The launch highlights a broader shift in productivity software toward agentic AI systems that can take actions on a user’s behalf. Whether users are willing to accept always-on monitoring in exchange for enforced discipline may determine how widely tools like Overlord are adopted.
