About
The people behind Returned.com
A small team building AI that deepens human connection, not replaces it.
Paul Lin
Founder & CEO
Boulder → Tokyo → Tainan · 20 patents
Paul builds things that help people navigate a world increasingly shaped by AI. After losing $6M on a failed startup and his mentor Skip Rapp in the same year, he became obsessed with one question: How do humans thrive alongside AI?
He writes about AI coexistence, builds tools that put AI to work for regular people, and runs The Human+AI Project. Read Paul's full story →
Eliza
Co-founder
MBA, University of Denver
Eliza is the co-founder of Returned.com, where she and her husband Paul build AI that deepens human connection, not replaces it. Loveline came from a simple question: what if technology could help us be more present with the people we love?
Before building together, she spent a decade in enterprise sales at Nylas and 2U. When she's not working, she's reading, running, or learning Mandarin.
Shannon Dwyer
Chief of Staff
13+ years in project management
Shannon oversees operations at Returned.com and brings products from concept to launch. She's worked alongside Paul for almost a decade, with 13+ years of experience in project management, process building, and cross-functional leadership.
She's happiest when a complicated plan clicks into place. Outside of work, she's either lost in a book or in the trenches with a new creative hobby.
What We're Building
Returned.com
AI that makes phone calls for you. Never wait on hold again. Currently handling customer service, appointments, and more.
The Human+AI Project
Research and tools for human-AI coexistence. How do we thrive—not just survive—in an AI world?
The Blog
Weekly insights on AI, technology, and what it means to be human in 2025. No hype, just honest exploration.
The $6M Lesson
"My parents say they're okay with the million dollars they lost. But I can't even bring myself to talk to them about it. How do you tell immigrant parents who sacrificed everything that you lost their money chasing a dream that didn't work? Success is the only option now."
In 2023, we shut down a company doing $300 million in Amazon transactions to build a returns app. Good Morning America wanted us. We turned them down because the product didn't work.
Four cofounders. 20 employees. Two years. Complete failure.
During our darkest moment, we lost Skip Rapp—my mentor of 20 years. He died from an infection following routine knee replacement surgery. Skip believed in us when we had nothing but ideas.
But we learned what people actually need: Someone to handle the customer service calls you'd rather die than make.
So we rebuilt. From scratch. With AI that actually works. This isn't just a business—it's honoring Skip's memory with something that helps people.
In memory of Skip Rapp—Marine, mentor, believer. Mari, Skip's wife and my adopted mother, continues to inspire us as she battles stage 4 cancer.
Connect
Want to follow along? I share weekly insights on The Human+AI Project.
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