Thirst CEO on creating the future of online news
Since you are reading the news here, we’re betting you’re curious about the future of how we’ll get information. A startup called Thirst has just launched an app for iPhone-iPads that is trying to re-invent the way we get news online.
“We’re trying to change the way people consume information on the web, and so we’ve built a newspaper that is personalized for each person and allows people to discover, share, and discuss content easily,” says Thirst CEO Anuj Verma.
To make your newspaper, you set up an account through Facebook or Twitter and to tell it what you like — the always fascinating sport of curling or the politics of Madagascar. It pulls data from your social media friends, too.
There are already so-called “social reading” apps such as Flipboard. But Verma says his is different. Thirst is organized by topic, and its algorithm learns what you like. Verma says we should be going through a revolution and his company is a start.
“People are now reading on their phone but the technology underneath the hood hasn’t really changed at all. People shouldn’t be reading the same thing even if they go to the same platform. Having a personalized experience with what you are reading, is, I think, the future of consumption,” says Verma.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
