28His anonymous instant-messaging app, Kik, has a billion-dollar valuation and 300 million registered users. Most are still in high school or younger—40 per cent of U.S. teens use Kik—and they’re hooked: the average user logs 74 minutes a day, better than YouTube, Snapchat or Netflix. This year, Livingston added 50 new employees to an existing 100. In April, they launched a bot platform with 150 interactive AI tools, some of which can talk, take orders at a café or play a game with you.
Up next:
Monetizing the chat bots and launching new features to differentiate Kik from competitors like WhatsApp.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/toronto-50-most-influential-2016-ted-livingston/&title=Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #28, Ted Livingston&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ted-livingston.jpg&description=Ted Livingston
Founder and CEO, Kik
28His anonymous instant-messaging app, Kik, has a billion-dollar valuation and 300 million registered users. Most are still in high school or younger—40 per cent of U.S. teens use Kik—and they’re hooked: the average user logs 74 minutes a day, better than YouTube, Snapchat or Netflix. This year, Livingston added 50 new employees to an existing 100. In April, they launched a bot platform with 150 interactive AI tools, some of which can talk, take orders at a café or play a game with you.
Up next: Monetizing the chat bots and launching new features to differentiate Kik from competitors like WhatsApp.
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