Vinod Khosla, a tech heavyweight, is backing former DeepMind engineer Shivani Poddar’s Wajo, believing it to be the most trustworthy personal-agent due to its focus on trust and safety.

‘Trust is key,’ Khosla told TechCrunch, citing concerns over giving data to large tech companies like Meta. Wajo, with its unique features such as hiring human help for tasks and a virtual credit card, aims to build this trust.

Wajo’s Fo agent works similarly to competitors like Meta’s Muse and OpenAI’s Dot, with tasks like errands and scheduling. However, its emphasis on privacy and safety could set it apart, especially with a patent for a virtual card system that protects users’ information.

Poddar, who previously worked on Facebook’s assistant, founded Wajo to build technology that serves users. She views trust as a foundational principle, stating, ‘Trust needs to be built from day zero, not only in your architecture, but in product choices.’

The startup is growing rapidly, with use in 107 countries, despite not disclosing specific user numbers. Its challenge lies in maintaining privacy while marketing safety as a core value, especially as other agents face blocks by Amazon.