The New Stack Podcast · 2026-06-18 · 29 min
Gusto is betting that small businesses need more than another AI assistant. The company’s new product, Gusto Cofounder, is designed to act as a proactive business partner that helps owners manage and grow their companies, drawing inspiration from the traditional mom-and-pop partnership that co-founder and CTOEddie Kimwitnessed growing up. Unlike reactive chatbots, Cofounder can take action across payroll, HR, benefits, scheduling, insurance, and accounting workflows by leveraging data already stored within Gusto. Users interact with the platform through text messages or Slack, while a consent framework ensures access to sensitive payroll and employee data remains tightly controlled. Businesses can grant explicit permissions and gradually increase autonomy as trust is established. The platform also integrates with third-party tools such as Google Workspace, enabling it to gather data, perform calculations, run payroll, and communicate results automatically. Kim said the product was built by a five-person team in just eight weeks using Claude Code, which he believes demonstrates how AI is expanding software creation beyond traditional engineering roles.
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