Meta AI veteran Rohit Patel departs to launch Ndoc, an AI-first office suite

Rohit Patel, who spent eight years leading Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, announced his departure from the company to focus on Ndoc, a startup he describes as an AI-native alternative to the Microsoft Office suite and Google Workspace. Patel’s exit follows a recent wave of high-profile departures from Meta, which has seen Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan, AI researcher Andrew Tulloch and Head of Product for AI-for-Work Emily Dalton Smith leave in the past year.

Ndoc is built around a single interface that consolidates the functions of spreadsheets, word processors, presentation tools and data analysis environments. The platform is organized into three tabs: Stage, where users assemble slide decks, dashboards, simulations or mini apps; Narrative, which houses analyses, citations, generated figures and the explanatory text behind the numbers; and Model, which stores the underlying datasets and Python scripts. Patel says the design reflects his background in reinforcement learning and his focus on AI trustworthiness, allowing users to inspect the code that generated a document. “Even if you don’t know any Python, you can ask the AI chat to explain, ‘Hey, what does this script do? Which line has my formula?’ And you can verify that formula,” he explained.

The startup’s approach differs from many enterprise AI tools that simply attach a language model to existing office applications. Patel argues that layering AI on top of spreadsheets “kills my soul,” and instead aims to replace fragmented workflows with an end-to-end environment. Ndoc can ingest a dataset, run an analysis, and automatically draft a narrative, while also preserving context such as audience, tone and memory across users, teams and the organization. The platform runs on a blend of open-source models, which Patel claims reduces operating costs compared with solutions built on frontier AI models. Early trial users, however, responded more to the convenience of having all work in one place than to cost savings.

A distinctive element of Ndoc is its file format. Documents can be exported as a single “.ndoc.html” file that opens in any browser. Patel plans to open-source the format so developers can build compatible applications without being locked into a single vendor, a goal he says was difficult to pursue within Meta’s larger structure. The startup currently operates with a three-person team and has not yet raised external capital. Patel has said he will seek funding only after demonstrating strong product-market fit.

As of this week, Ndoc is running an enterprise pilot and has opened an alpha version to a limited set of customers on a waitlist. The service is free to join, with usage and token fees applied later. Patel expects a beta release in the coming weeks and a full commercial launch next year. He emphasizes speed over perfection, noting that “execution is extremely cheap, so go execute on a suboptimal plan and worry about it later.” The coming months will reveal whether Ndoc can persuade enterprises to abandon entrenched office suites in favor of a unified, AI-driven workspace.