How Babbel's Banking on Breaking Through the U.S. Market
Markus Witte, CEO of Babbel, joined Cheddar to discuss the growing popularity of learning languages through technology. He said that the desire to learn a new language has increased dramatically over the past decade and points out that people can now get their classes on-the-go.
But what makes Babbel different from similar offerings to those of Rosetta Stone or DuoLingo? Witte argued that his company provides courses tailored to users' native languages. The platform's audio examples and dialogues are recorded by real native speakers, instead of automated computers, empowering users to speak correctly and confidently from day one.
In that same vein, Babbel focuses on teaching its users conversational language, encouraging fluency sooner. Witte noted, unsurprisingly, that members are most eager to learn Spanish and English.
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV, leaving subscribers of the Google-owned live streaming platform without access to major networks like ESPN and ABC. That’s because the companies have failed to reach a new licensing deal to keep Disney channels on YouTube TV. Depending on how long it lasts, the dispute could particularly impact coverage of U.S. college football matchups over the weekend — on top of other news and entertainment disruptions that have already arrived. In the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers who want to watch Disney channels could have little choice other than turning to the company’s own platforms, which come with their own price tags.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
