The Rise and Quiet Fall of Mayday.am: How a Promising Calendar Startup Disappeared into Apple

Ever wonder what happens when a smart, sleek productivity app simply vanishes—no bad press, no crisis, just… gone? That’s the story of Mayday.am, a beautifully designed AI-powered calendar that once had productivity nerds buzzing.

Launched with elegant features and big ambitions, Mayday wasn’t just another calendar—it promised to think for you, rescheduling your day dynamically using AI. But less than a few years after launch, it was quietly acquired by Apple, and then shut down on May 5, 2024, without fanfare or a clear explanation.

So why did it disappear? And was this a failure… or a strategic success?

Let’s get into both the short and long answers.

What Was Mayday.am?

Mayday was a calendar app built around the idea of intelligent time management. It combined a sleek UI with machine learning features to anticipate and adjust your schedule, offering innovations such as:

• Smart tags for auto-categorizing tasks and events
• Automatic rescheduling of your day based on changing priorities
• Integrated scheduling links to replace back-and-forth emails
• Flexible Tasks, which floated intelligently around fixed events

Think of it as your personal time assistant, actively optimizing your workday.

Mayday was available on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, making it ideal for Apple users. And while its branding (.am domain) suggested connections to Armenia, it was actually founded in Toronto, Canada.

Founder and Origins

Mayday was founded by Jeremy Bell, a Canadian entrepreneur with a product and engineering background. The company quietly gained a following for its elegant UX, smart scheduling, and seamless sync with tools like Google Calendar.

It raised $3.8 million CAD in seed funding and was poised to carve out a niche in the ever-crowded productivity space. But then… things went quiet.

Why Did Mayday.am Shut Down?

Short Answer:

Mayday.am was acquired by Apple in 2024, and then shut down—most likely to integrate its AI technology and team into Apple Calendar.

Long Answer:

There was no dramatic crash, no financial implosion. Mayday’s shutdown was stealthy and corporate-strategic. But if we look closer, several factors help explain its fate:

1. Apple Acquisition (Main Cause)

This was the big one. Although not announced publicly by Apple (they often stay silent on small acquisitions), the evidence paints a clear picture:

• Mayday announced its shutdown in early 2024, with final termination on May 5, 2024
• Founder Jeremy Bell confirmed on his personal website that the company was acquired by Apple
• Bell is now listed as Senior Engineering Manager for Apple Calendar

This suggests Apple wasn’t just buying the tech—it wanted the talent and expertise Mayday offered.

2. Sudden Strategic Pivot by the Acquirer

Mayday had carved out a roadmap for an AI-enhanced productivity tool. But Apple, with massive in-house engineering teams, likely saw an opportunity to fold Mayday’s talent into its own platforms, rather than continue supporting a separate product with overlapping features.

This is a textbook “acqui-hire”—tech giants buy small, promising companies not for users or revenue, but for the team and technology.

3. Unclear Monetization Timeline

Mayday was free to use in its early days, and there’s no strong evidence it ever moved aggressively toward monetization. That’s not uncommon for early-stage startups, but without a clear plan for generating revenue from users, Mayday may have been more appealing as a technical asset than a standalone business.

4. Crowded Market, But Not the Core Problem

There’s no shortage of calendar or productivity apps: Outlook, Fantastical, Notion’s calendar tools, and calendar integrations in platforms like Slack and Superhuman all compete for user attention. But Mayday’s unique features ("Flexible Tasks", auto-scheduling) gave it a niche.

Still, in a market where switching costs are high, getting users to abandon familiar tools is tough. Mayday may have grown steadily, but the overall market dynamics likely limited explosive growth, prompting the founders to consider acquisition offers seriously.

5. Lack of Public Communication

One element that frustrated some users: Mayday didn’t explain much. There was no public blog post about the acquisition, and most shutdown comms were short and technical. This left fans of the app confused, speculating about what went wrong.

It wasn’t until industry blogs like AlternativeTo and Toolfinder.co picked up on clues—particularly Bell’s personal site—that the full picture came together.

How It Compares to Surviving Competitors

Let’s talk about Fantastical, one of the premium calendar apps for Apple users.

Fantastical:

• Offers natural-language input
• Has a subscription-based business model
• Continuously evolves with Apple’s ecosystem

Mayday, while similar in aesthetic and platform, didn’t have a solid subscription product or the wide user adoption Fantastical boasts.

Meanwhile, Apple Calendar (built into every iPhone and Mac) was the more mainstream competition. Although basic, it has the backing of an entire ecosystem—and with Mayday’s features possibly being integrated soon, Apple Calendar may become significantly smarter in the near future.

In short: Mayday was innovating faster, but didn’t have the scale or stickiness to compete indefinitely without outside backing or monetization.

Final Thoughts: A Quiet End for a Smart Idea

Mayday didn’t fail in the traditional sense—it succeeded just enough to get acquired. But in doing so, it sacrificed its independent product and community.

That said, its legacy might quietly live on inside millions of iPhones.

There's a lesson here: build something people love and make it smart—and if you're not the winner in the market, you might just become part of one.

FAQs about Mayday.am

Who founded Mayday?
Jeremy Bell, a Canadian entrepreneur and engineer, founded Mayday.

When did Mayday come out?
Mayday launched publicly around 2021, though it gained wider attention in 2022–2023.

When did Mayday shut down?
Mayday ceased operations on May 5, 2024, following its acquisition.

How much funding did Mayday raise?
It raised $3.8 million CAD in seed funding.

Who acquired Mayday?
Apple acquired Mayday in 2024, although the acquisition was not initially disclosed publicly.

Why did Mayday fail?
It didn't fail in the traditional sense—instead, it was acquired for its technology and talent, leading to a voluntary shutdown.

Did user data get transferred to Apple?
No. Mayday deleted user-specific features and data after shutdown. Calendar data stayed with services like Google Calendar or Outlook.

Stay tuned—if you start seeing smarter suggestions in Apple Calendar soon, now you know where they might’ve come from.