 | |
| Company type | Mobile and web database for movies, TV, books, podcasts |
|---|---|
| Industry | Platform as a service Digital transformation Enterprise Software |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Bellevue, Washington |
| Products |
|
Number of employees | Approximately 35 (2020) |
| Website | www.likewise.com |
Likewise is an American private company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. The company develops, hosts, and markets a platform to help users find content recommendations for movies, TV, books, and podcasts. The service is available on iOS, Android, and web.[1]
The company was launched in October 2017 by a team of ex-Microsoft employees with financial backing from Bill Gates.[2]
History
edit
The idea for Likewise was originally conceived by Larry Cohen, the former Microsoft communications chief, who is now CEO of Gates Ventures, as a way to remember and find recommendations for restaurants, TV shows, movies, books and more from both friends and in-house experts. The company was funded with full backing from Bill Gates and later brought on Ian Morris as CEO with the objective to “help people quickly discover great recommendations, share them with their friends and keep them in one place.”[3] The Likewise platform notably does not feature a rating systems in order to preserve a positive recommendation-focused environment for users.[4]
Likewise's early growth was fueled in part by its notable influencers including Bill Gates and Melinda Gates who regularly post book and movie recommendations on the platform.[5][6]
2020 Pandemic
editIn the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Likewise experienced a large surge in app usage and adoption with usage increasing 400% and new users doubling without additional marketing effort.[7]
Features
editCommunity Recommendations
editThe Likewise platforms supports social networking functionality that allows users to create, share, and engage with their own saved lists of content.[8] The platform also supports community driven asks for users to suggest shows on behalf of one another.[9]
Content Discovery
editLikewise supports content discovery across movies, TV shows, books, podcasts, and more. The platform leverages machine learning and AI to help predict and suggest relevant content for users based off their prior product engagement.[10]
Likewise TV
editLikewise launched its Apple TV app in October of 2019 to allow users to stream saved TV shows and movies directly onto their TV from any supported streaming service.[11] Similar Android TV and Fire TV apps were released in July 2020 to support mobile app to TV streaming on alternative platforms.[12]
Likewise is currently available as a free app on the following platforms:
References
edit- ^ "Bill Gates is backing an app that helps you keep track of the things your friends like". businessinsider.com. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ "Bill Gates-backed Likewise turns recommendations into a social network". verdict.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "Recommendations startup Likewise emerges from Bill Gates' private office, letting friends track and share their favorite things". geekwire.com. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ "Bill Gates' new recommendation engine". axios.com. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ Mejia, Zameena. "Bill Gates: These 4 books make me feel optimistic about the world". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ Bridges, Frances. "Melinda Gates's 11 Book Recommendations For Your Fall Reading List". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ "Entertainment Curation Service Explodes As People Seek Distractions". seattlebusinessmag.com. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ Gottsegen, Gordon. "Bill Gates-funded Likewise app gives you recommendations from people you trust". www.cnet.com. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ Schlosser, Kurt. "What should you watch next on TV? Even Bill Gates seeks advice, so startup Likewise steps in to help". www.geekwire.com. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ "Bill Gates' new recommendation engine". axios.com. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ Schlosser, Kurt. "What should you watch next on TV? Even Bill Gates seeks advice, so startup Likewise steps in to help". www.geekwire.com. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ Barnes, Jess. "Streaming Recommendation App Likewise Now Available on Fire TV, Android TV & Apple TV". www.cordcuttersnews.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "Likewise on Your TV". www.likewise.com. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
External links
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Category:Software companies established in 2017
Category:2017 establishments in Washington (state)
Category:Software development
Category:Software companies based in Washington (state)
Category:Software companies of the United States
Category:iOS applications
Category:Android (operating system) software
Category:Fire TV applications
Category:Apple TV applications
Category:Android media players
Category:Web applications
Category:Cloud applications