TechCrunch: Kik says it’s ‘here to stay,’ following shutdown reports. “It’s been a rough run for Kik of late. The once mighty messaging service announced in late September that it would be shutting down its app. CEO Ted Livingston noted in a blog post that the startup would be trimming its headcount from over 100 people to ‘an elite 19 person team,’ following a protracted 18 month battle with the SEC.”
Tag Archives: Kik
CNN: Kik shuts down once popular messaging app
CNN: Kik shuts down once popular messaging app. “At its peak, Kik’s messaging app had hundreds of millions of registered users and the company earned a private market valuation of $1 billion, placing it in the elite ranks of tech unicorns. Now, Kik is shutting down its chat app after a fight with regulators.”
Medium: Bots are Better Without Conversation
Medium: Bots are Better Without Conversation. “It has been four months since we launched the Kik Bot Shop and Facebook opened its bot platform for Messenger. It’s been about the same time since the hype around bots was at its peak, with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella predicting that bots would be as big as apps. Since then, the hype has cooled, with some people now wondering why bots suck and politely asking not to be exposed to them. At Kik, we remain bullish on bots, but we’ve noticed the same thing everyone else has: so far, there has been no killer bot. “
Yahoo Launches New Bots on Kik
Yahoo has launched three new bots on the Kik platform (PRESS RELEASE). “The Yahoo bots will provide Kik users with means of discovering and exploring content in a social context. Yahoo News (@yahoonews) helps users discover, delve deeper, and share the stories that interest them most. Yahoo Weather (@yahooweather) goes beyond simply providing information such as temperature and weather condition, and taps into weather as a shared experience and conversation starter. In addition, Yahoo launched MonkeyPets (@monkeypets), a virtual friend that lives off of emojis and shares selfies from its ‘travels.'”
Kik Opens Chat Bot Store
Interested in chat bots? Check out this new store from Kik. “Kik has taken its first step into developing that potential after it opened a bot store inside its app, alongside the tools to allow any developer or brand to create their own bot. Users can access the bot store on the tab where they create new chats, while developers are able to go ahead and get started at dev.kik.com. (Kik is also working with developer shops that can help get bots off the ground.)”