Genies Introduces Emojis That React To Current Events
Genies is a new app that launched late last year which allows users to create personalizable look-alike and expressive emojis that react to what’s going on in real-time -- everything from breaking news to cultural holidays. CEO Akash Nigam sits down with Cheddar to talk about what went into creating the app, including the company's proprietary AI technology designed to make the app the first of its kind.
Nigam acknowledged that the emoji space is becoming more saturated, but insists Genie is creating something that will stand out from the crowd. The young CEO, who was nominated for Forbes 30 under 30 in 2016, recently raised $15 million in investor funding to further develop the technology.
He also discusses the value of having celebrities like Shawn Mendes and Chainsmokers attached to the brand as investors and celebrity ambassadors. Nigam says the company plans to make Bitmoji obsolete with its new upgraded technology.
An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.
Climate change doesn’t just mean more extreme weather – it also leads to billions of dollars in lost productivity, tourism, and stresses infrastructure.
