Foursquare's Founder on Making the Internet Fun Again + His New App — With Dennis Crowley
Feb 21, 2024
auto_awesome
Dennis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare, discusses the lost magic of the internet and his new app, BeeBot, which brings context to audio messages while exploring cities. He tackles the challenges of digital culture, emphasizing the need for playful experiences amidst tech giants' dominance. The conversation also covers the nuances of Web3, innovations in AI, and the future of augmented reality, including insights on engaging voice assistants and the transformative potential of technologies like Apple's Vision Pro.
Foursquare shifted from consumer app to location tech provider with $100M revenue.
BeeBot app aims to enhance city walks with personalized audio notifications.
Dennis Crowley optimistic about Web3, AI, cautious on Apple's Vision Pro adoption.
Deep dives
The Evolution of Four Square
Dennis Crowley, the co-founder and former CEO of Four Square, discusses the evolution of the company. Four Square started in 2009 as a consumer app for check-ins and recommendations. Over the years, the company shifted its focus to location technology, intelligence, and analytics for third parties. Despite not being as well-known as it once was, Four Square remains a successful and stable business with a revenue of over $100 million per year.
Making the Internet Fun Again
Dennis Crowley talks about his new project, Bebod, an app that aims to make walking in cities a more enjoyable and informative experience. Bebod utilizes audio notifications to provide interesting and fun facts about the user's surroundings, offering a unique and personalized way to explore a city. The app is currently in the testing phase, with positive feedback from users, and Dennis expresses his hope to create a fun, delightful experience that enhances users' real-world interactions.
Web3 and AI Potential
Dennis Crowley shares his interest in Web3 and AI technologies. He believes that the current state of AI is still far from reaching its full potential, but is optimistic about its future applications. Dennis acknowledges the challenges of building for both financial stakeholders and regular users, but remains curious about exploring the possibilities of these technologies. He emphasizes the importance of delivering respectful and valuable notifications instead of focusing on distractions or addictive features.
Apple's Pursuit of AI and VR
Dennis discusses the potential of Apple's upcoming products in the AI and VR space. While Apple has recently released its VR device called the Vision Pro, Dennis is skeptical about its widespread adoption due to its high price and limited applications. He believes that the technology needs further advancements and more compelling use cases to attract a larger audience. However, he acknowledges that the Vision Pro could be a stepping stone towards a more immersive and accessible augmented reality future.
The Future of Consumer Products and AI
Dennis shares his observations about current consumer products and AI advancements. While he has seen interesting developments in the consumer space, he recognizes the challenge of creating breakthrough products in a competitive market. However, he remains open to innovative ideas that reinvent traditional categories and provide delightful user experiences. Additionally, Dennis highlights the importance of finding the right balance between AI's potential and maintaining human-centered interactions that respect users' attention and preferences.
Dennis Crowley's Personal Journey
Dennis reflects on his personal journey and his passion for building products that enhance people's real-world experiences. He discusses his preference for projects that are fun, playful, and make people smile. Dennis shares his aspirations to create products that are not designed to be addictive but are genuinely enjoyable and valuable to users. He also expresses gratitude for the supportive community of builders and innovators who inspire him to continue pursuing his vision.
Dennis Crowley is the co-founder of Foursquare. He joins Big Technology Podcast to talk about what made the internet fun, why it's lost some of its magic, and how to restore it. He also introduces a new app, called BeeBot, that will deliver short, contextual audio messages to you as you walk around cities. Stay tuned for the second half where we discuss whether Web3 can still work, how AI changes things, and whether Crowley's buying a Vision Pro. Listen for a fun, energetic conversation about the web's evolution and where it might go from here.
