Ted Livingston is the CEO and Founder of Kik Interactive – creators of Kik – a messaging app that connects the world through chat.

After working at Blackberry, his boss encouraged him to start his own company, which he did in 2009.

That company (Kik) has since grown to 15 million monthly users, a  billion-dollar valuation, $120 million dollars in venture funding, and an uber-successful $100 million-dollar ICO.

 

In this episode, Ted and I discuss:

– His journey from Blackberry, to Kik, to Kin – which is the new cryptocurrency that powers the Kik messaging platform

– How back in 2010 Kik went from 0 to 1 million users in only 15 days

– The power of incentives in a decentralized network –and–

– Why Ted believes Bitcoin is fundamentally flawed, and how Kin addresses those flaws, to the point of maybe one day replacing Bitcoin as the world’s top cryptocurrency

 

SHOW NOTES

[00:58] – Who is Ted Livingston, what is Kik, what is Kin, and how did Ted end getting involved with Cryptocurrency? Introduction and overview

[06:54] – How is Kik different and how did it go from 0 to 1 million users in only 15 days?

[10:15] – Has Kik joined the oligopoly?

[12:55] – Ted Livingston’s journey to Bitcoin

[27:15] – The Kik token sale, and the allocation and distribution schedule for Kin

[30:10] – Ted addresses concerns about minor earning and using Kin

[36:16] – Areas Ted believes will be impacted by Blockchain and Cryptocurrency

[42:26] – The oligopoly problem with the top 5 tech giants (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft)

[46:06] – Does Blockchain/Cryptocurrency have a “killer app?”

[49:23] – Ted Livingston’s take on the state of Bitcoin and Ethereum in 10 years

[51:43] – What is Ted most excited about right now?

[52:20] – Ted’s advice to entrepreneurs and companies looking to innovate with Blockchain and Cryptocurrency

[55:13] – How to get in touch with Ted and how to find out more about Kik and Kin

[56:40] – Conclusion

 

RESOURCES DISCUSSED

Blackberry

Bitcoin

Unicorn

Tencent

WeChat

Gavin Andresen

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

– Kik website

– Kin website

– Kin whitepaper

– Ted Livingston on Twitter

– Kik on Twitter

– Kin on Telegram

 

 

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