Last week marked the 10-year anniversary of the first video ever uploaded to Google’s (GOOGL) popular video sharing service, YouTube. As one of the most popular websites on the Internet, and the second leading search engine behind Google, YouTube clearly has a lot to celebrate. However, as a profitless Google subsidiary, YouTube’s future could prove quite volatile, especially as its main competitor continues to invest in an entirely new video-sharing platform.
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$2.8 Billion In One Year
Slack, a relatively new messaging and communications application, specifically aimed at increasing business efficiency, has announced that it recently raised $160 million in new funding at a valuation of $2.8 billion. Its investors include big VC names like Accel Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, and Google Ventures. To date, Slack has raised $340 million of working capital to fund expansionary business strategies.
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Facebook's Recent Release
Social media giant Facebook (FB) recently took a page out of AOL’s (ancient) playbook by creating a standalone desktop messaging platform similar to AIM (for those who remember, this was the greatest invention of all time). The goal of Facebook’s new PC application is to expand its user base, increase data collection, and generate higher revenues.
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How To Land Your Dream Job
Having trouble finding a job? Disappointed with the job you currently have? Feel like you’re destined to doing something else? Well LinkedIn (LNKD) is here to help. Last June, the company rolled out an iOS app specifically tailored to help disgruntled workers land their dream job. Almost a year later, LinkedIn has now released the app for Android users as an entirely redeveloped platform.
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Snapchat's Newest Feature
Earlier this week, Snapchat announced it had added a new feature, Snapcash, to its popular photo-sharing application. In the hopes of further monetizing the Snapchat platform, the company forged a partnership with Square, a widespread B2C payment service that Apple (AAPL) tried to acquire in early 2014 (click here to see how much Square turned down from Tim Cook).
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Taco Bell's Brilliant App
Today, society focuses on making the smart, smarter; the thin, thinner; and the quick, quicker. Embracing this trend, Taco Bell’s (YUM) new mobile application aims to make ordering fast food even faster. About a week ago Taco Bell “blacked out” its social media pages in an attempt to raise awareness for its new app, displaying the simple Twitter (TWTR) hashtag "#OnlyInTheApp."
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Reddit Boosts Mobile Presence
Reddit, known as the “front page of the internet," or, alternatively, a "giant black hole," has acquired its most popular third party mobile app. After receiving $50 million in funding, Reddit purchased Alien Blue to enhance its brand. For those who don't know, Reddit maintains a very strong following of roughly 175 million dedicated monthly users.
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