Models
1
Overview
Bootstrapped AI hardware company building wearable AI note-taking devices, including the NotePin S ($159) and PLAUD Note. Founded by CEO Nathan Xu (Xu Gao), Plaud has reached $250M ARR without VC funding, making it one of the few profitable AI hardware startups. The NotePin S is a wearable AI voice recorder with 64GB storage, transcription in 112 languages, and AI summarization. Optional Pro plan at $99/year for 6,000 minutes of transcription.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
DEPLOY Intelligence
Market intelligence for physical AI
Analyst-grade signals, competitive tracking, and investment context across the global physical AI landscape. Launching 2026.
Key facts
CEO
Product
Price
Revenue
Funding
Financial stage
Models (1)
View all models →Explainers
Plain-language answers to the questions people ask about Plaud, from DEPLOY’s explainer library. Each is written in the language of the question and cross-checked against this registry.
- What is an AI wearable?
An AI wearable is a body-worn device whose primary value comes from AI inference on captured sensor input (voice, camera, biosensors) rather than from the wearable hardware itself. The category spans pins, pendants, glasses, and audio devices. As of mid-2026 DEPLOY tracks 7 entities with 3 distinct operational states: commercial active (Plaud NotePin, Friend Pendant, Bee Wearable, Meta Ray-Ban), pilot active (Rabbit r1), and commercial discontinued (Humane AI Pin, Limitless Pendant). The Big Tech acquires pattern is the editorial throughline: Humane to HP, Bee to Amazon, Limitless to Meta.
Current leadership (1)
- Nathan Xu (Xu Gao) CEO & Co-FounderSEC-verified
Founders (1)
- Nathan Xu (Xu Gao)cofounder
Safety record
No incidents on record for Plaud.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Recent coverage
Plaud in third-party press
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJul 18, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Common questions
- What is Plaud?
- Bootstrapped AI hardware company building wearable AI note-taking devices, including the NotePin S ($159) and PLAUD Note. Founded by CEO Nathan Xu (Xu Gao), Plaud has reached $250M ARR without VC funding, making it one of the few profitable AI hardware startups. The NotePin S is a wearable AI voice recorder with 64GB storage, transcription in 112 languages, and AI summarization. Optional Pro plan at $99/year for 6,000 minutes of transcription.
- What does Plaud make?
- Plaud has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: NotePin S (Plaud builds physical robots).
- Who is the CEO of Plaud?
- Nathan Xu (Xu Gao) is the ceo of Plaud, per the DEPLOY registry.
- Where is Plaud headquartered?
- Plaud is headquartered in USA.
- Where does Plaud operate robots?
- Plaud is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.
- Is Plaud a top robotics company?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, Plaud ranks in roughly the top 100% of companies tracked by the registry.
- Is Plaud safe?
- Plaud has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Claimed (not independently verified) · no sources on file · last reviewed 2026-07-18
Verification posture
Claimed (not independently verified)
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-18
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Plaud.In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Plaud from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
How an AI Notetaker Became One of the Few Profitable AI Startups
Plaud, bootstrapped AI notetaking startup, is on track for $250M revenue. Sells the $159 NotePin device and $99/year transcription plans. One of the few profitable AI hardware…
Plaud's Wearable AI Notetaker with Founder CEO Nathan Xu at NYSE
Plaud co-founder and CEO Nathan Xu interviewed at NYSE International Showcase, discussing the NotePin S wearable AI notetaker.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/plaud.md
- RSS feed: /companies/plaud/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/ddf063e5-155d-4d2c-ac78-5e247021ed5f
- Revision history: /companies/plaud/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Reality vs attention
Plaud draws attention at the 8th percentile but verifies reality at the insufficient-data level among wearable robots.
Analysis
Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 19, 2026