I sought out better options to handle my future spreadsheets and discovered Grist. It’s an open-source, self-hostable spreadsheet and database app that makes Excel feel like a fossil.

OpenAI can offer this compatibility because Microsoft’s file formats for Excel (.xlsx) and PowerPoint (.pptx) are open source, so OpenAI doesn't need any permission to build tools that use them.

These hurdles often lead to frustration over untapped potential, costly attempts to acquire talent or, worse, a resignation to continue operating without data-driven in ...