Cyberdesk

What do they actually do

Cyberdesk lets developers programmatically control real Windows desktops—either their own machines via a local driver or cloud-hosted virtual desktops—so an agent can click, type, and read screens to automate GUI-only apps. The project is open source and ships SDKs (TypeScript/Python), an HTTP API, and a lightweight web dashboard for building and running workflows (GitHub, Quickstart, API/SDKs).

In practice, a developer connects a desktop by installing the Cyberdriver or requesting a cloud desktop, defines a workflow with prompted or recorded steps and extraction prompts, and then runs it. The agent reads screen state before actions, executes steps, and returns structured outputs; runs, logs, and attachments are stored for review (Cyberdriver, Prompting overview, Generating output data).

To improve speed and reliability, Cyberdesk caches successful executions as “trajectories” so repeated runs follow the same path; when UIs change or popups appear, it falls back to reasoning. This aims to be more stable than brittle click replay common in older RPA tools (Trajectories, Quickstart, HN discussion).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Developers/automation engineers scripting Windows-only desktop apps: They need code-level control to click, type, and read screens where no APIs exist; screen recordings are brittle and break with minor UI changes. Cyberdesk offers SDKs, an HTTP API, and a workflow model to build automations in code (API/SDKs, GitHub).
• IT/Ops and platform teams running enterprise automations: Legacy GUI bots are high-maintenance and require auditability. They need session logging, secure hosting/self-hosting, and traceability to meet compliance (Quickstart/logging, GitHub).
• Back-office teams in healthcare/finance using EHRs or desktop accounting systems: Manual data entry and reconciliation are time-consuming and error-prone due to lack of integrations; mistakes are costly under regulation. Cyberdesk targets EHR/accounting use cases to replace repetitive desktop work (YouTube explainer, YC launch).
• Managed service providers (MSPs) and BPOs processing high volumes in legacy apps: They need predictable, scalable runs to hit SLAs; traditional RPA breaks often and needs constant human fixes. Cyberdesk’s trajectory caching plus exception handling aims to reduce ongoing breakage (Trajectories, HN discussion).

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Run founder-led pilots with waitlisted teams and active OSS users; offer short, free pilots that automate a real Windows workflow end-to-end using Cyberdriver + cloud desktops to quantify hours saved (site waitlist/demo, Cyberdriver, GitHub).
• First 50: Productize early wins into templates and trajectory libraries; publish onboarding checklists, run technical webinars for developers/Platform teams in healthcare/finance, and open a low-cost self-serve beta with usage-based billing (Prompting, Trajectories API, YouTube).
• First 100: Ship detailed case studies with time/accuracy and compliance results, launch a partner program for MSPs/BPOs and VDI/cloud providers, and roll out paid self-serve + enterprise tiers with automated onboarding, audit logs, and SLAs to speed deals (YC launch, Quickstart/logging).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Cyberdesk competes in a slice of the broader RPA/desktop automation market. Estimates for global RPA market size in 2024 vary widely—from about $3.8B (Grand View Research) to $18.2B (Fortune Business Insights)—highlighting uncertainty but indicating a large category (Grand View Research, Fortune Business Insights).

Bottom-up calculation:

Assuming ~10,000 target companies globally that still rely on Windows-only GUIs in regulated/enterprise workflows, each running an average of 50 automated desktops at roughly $1,800 per seat per year (hosted desktop + platform usage), yields ~10,000 × 50 × $1,800 ≈ $900M annual TAM.

Assumptions:

• Roughly 10,000 mid-market/enterprise organizations have material Windows GUI-only workflows suitable for automation.
• Average deployment of ~50 automated desktop ‘seats’ per customer across teams/lines of business.
• Blended annual spend of ~$1,800 per seat (VDI/desktop hosting plus platform and API usage).

Who are some of their notable competitors

• UiPath: Leading enterprise RPA platform with strong Windows UI automation via selectors and CV, plus orchestration and governance—dominant incumbent in desktop automation (UiPath docs).
• Microsoft Power Automate Desktop: Windows-native recorder/playback desktop flows integrated with Power Automate—low-friction choice inside Microsoft stacks.
• Automation Anywhere: Enterprise RPA suite (task bots, orchestration, governance) aimed at large organizations needing control and scale.
• Blue Prism: Traditional enterprise RPA with strong governance and centralized control, often selected for compliance-sensitive environments.
• Robocorp (rpaframework): Open-source, developer-first Python/Robot Framework stack for desktop automation, appealing to code-centric teams (RPA Framework docs).