The 12th annual Relativity Fest kicked off this week in Chicago earlier than over 1,800 attendees. Plenty of bulletins, probably the most vital of which was that beginning in early 2026, the Relativity aiR for Overview and aiR for Privilege merchandise shall be included in the usual Relativity One bundle and pricing. The accompanying press launch saying the change describes these instruments as “generative AI options for authorized evaluation.”
In different phrases, what have been beforehand solely obtainable by paying a separate and extra cost will now basically be free for Relativity clients.
Why Is This Vital?
That is essential as a result of so many distributors attempt to create AI applications after which cost individually for them to generate income. Many of those merchandise are already costly and including an AI surcharge can place them out of attain for a lot of practitioners. And the concept that there are separate expenses for the state-of-the-art merchandise looks like nickel and diming that does little greater than breed distrust.
But these merchandise can save hundreds of {dollars} and numerous hours and are invaluable. Many AI instruments do little greater than make the wealthy richer, offering a bonus to the big companies that may afford state-of-the-art instruments. Providing the evaluation and privilege evaluation instruments as a part of the usual bundle ranges the enjoying subject. It additionally makes for higher outcomes when each side have entry to the identical instruments.
Phil Saunders, the Relativity CEO, put it this fashion: “We imagine generative AI is the simple way forward for evaluation, and we’re making it simple for all RelativityOne clients to expertise the platform.”
In some respects, the choice displays the tradition of the corporate and specifically the philosophy of Saunders who has been in that place for nearly three years. Not like lots of these in C-suites of authorized tech corporations, Saunders is refreshingly trustworthy. He’s self-deprecating. He’s humble however assured. He’s the form of CEO who goes to the considerably drab resort fitness center to work out with everybody else as a substitute of being chauffeured to someplace fancy together with his entourage. You already know the form of man you wish to have a beer with? That’s Saunders.
Some Honesty For a Change
Constant together with his model and philosophy, Saunders made a lot of revealing and candid feedback within the Keynote and afterwards in a press convention.
For instance, one of many instruments introduced not too long ago by Relativity is aiR Technique, which helps customers create case methods. When requested why that device was additionally not being bundled in the usual bundle, his response was attention-grabbing: frankly, he admitted that the product will not be fairly prepared but. It’s not a “real-time, best-in-class” providing. Fascinating and trustworthy: bundling aiR Technique will apparently be mentioned solely when the product is prepared.
When requested about future mergers and acquisitions, Saunders additionally answered actually that the corporate had not been good at integrating acquired corporations up to now. He additionally famous {that a} lack of a tradition match simply fuels disruption. So, says Saunders, Relativity simply hasn’t been prepared for extra acquisitions.
Saunders additionally raised the query of the significance of (or maybe lack of significance) of focusing an excessive amount of on income: “simply because one thing builds income doesn’t imply it’s going to serve the purchasers properly… we now have to recover from the fact that income is like heroin, it’s addictive.”
Saunders additionally addressed the connection of Relativity with its companions. He firmly planted a flag: Relativity companions can’t take a Relativity product and mark it up. “It’s not serving the top buyer by marking up a platform 5X to keep up the margins they as soon as had within the human evaluation enterprise after which doing a bunch of consulting companies and charging $800 an hour.”
Relationships with companions can usually be sensitive: it’s like the connection between franchisors and franchisees that I’m aware of from training regulation. They want one another but when the franchisor doesn’t be certain that the franchisee affords the merchandise pretty and actually, everybody will get harm. It’s the identical right here, so it’s good to see Saunders make Relativity’s stance clear.
Saunders was additionally requested if the not too long ago introduced Relativity Rel Labs program, an funding program that may help authorized tech startups, may associate with or spend money on some socially oriented AI instruments. One other trustworthy reply: “that’s a extremely good query, we haven’t considered it.”
As Saunders put it, “if we don’t know one thing, we personal it.”
Firm Tradition
Concluding the press convention, Saunders summed up in a couple of phrases what he thinks the tradition of Relativity is or needs to be. First, it approaches issues with “radical candor” the place concepts and for that matter, failures, are mentioned brazenly and robustly. It strives to be “humble however hungry.”
Platitudes? Perhaps. But when bundling key instruments with out charging further for them is any indication, this tradition could also be actual.
Plus, by the way in which, says Saunders, radical candor lets him swear quite a bit.
Why This Method Works
I don’t work for Relativity. I’m not there everyday. I don’t use their merchandise. However in an period when many tech distributors overpromise underperforming merchandise or announce merchandise that shall be provided later, supply enhancements that don’t do a lot new, or supply merchandise as add-ons to their central core merchandise, Saunders’s honesty and transparency is refreshing.
As with most buyer relationships, on the finish of the day, it must be about belief. Honesty and transparency generate belief. Doing the proper factor like together with key applications in the usual platform says quite a bit. Notably in a enterprise the place relationships between authorized service suppliers and their purchasers hinge nearly fully on belief.
If solely different distributors adopted swimsuit, they could be turn into trusted allies as a substitute of simply distributors.
Stephen Embry is a lawyer, speaker, blogger, and author. He publishes TechLaw Crossroads, a weblog dedicated to the examination of the stress between expertise, the regulation, and the follow of regulation.
