Chris and Mike Whyley look back on the 20-year growth of Zamzar, the online file-conversion service they started in 2006 with basic equipment and a simple aim: help people open files without installing complicated software. The company has expanded from 150 conversion options to 2,128, and says more than 550 million people have used it to convert over 766 million files. It now handles more than one million API requests daily, with users ranging from remote Tokelau and Antarctica to the Vatican. The founders emphasize that these figures represent people solving practical problems, not just business milestones.
The account also traces the unexpected experiences the service has brought, including recovering presentations for PowerPoint’s inventor, assisting internet pioneer Vint Cerf with digital preservation, and working with Xerox on turning documents into audio. The team has tackled obscure formats, though not sewing-machine patterns, and even received a cease-and-desist letter from Google over YouTube downloads. Zamzar remains a small, independent UK business, built without venture capital and uninterested in chasing technology fads; it has also donated to more than 60 charities, schools, and community causes. Customer stories - including a user recovering 36 pages of seemingly corrupted work - illustrate the founders’ central motivation: making everyday file problems easier to resolve.
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Anthropic’s IPO filing reveals deep ties to Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Broadcom as investors, customers, rivals, and suppliers. These entanglements and massive AI spending are making tech companies’ fortunes increasingly interconnected, raising investor concerns about the AI boom. (thebignewsletter.com)
YC-backed Subvocal raised $1.3 million to develop glasses that turn silent mouthing into text. Developer Joe Blau built a free, open-source AirPods alternative in nine minutes, but it recognizes only a few trained words. (startupfortune.com)
Steve Eisman’s views on a possible Anthropic IPO are not included in the provided content. The page only shows a browser compatibility notice. (youtube.com)
Anthropic’s IPO timing could affect how its employees are taxed on company shares and equity compensation. The date may change when employees can sell shares or qualify for tax benefits. (forbes.com)
OpenAI raised less than half of its $30 billion target in its latest funding round. The round brought in under $15 billion. (wsj.com)
Anthropic is expected to receive a BB-range speculative credit rating after its IPO, according to a Financial Times report citing Blackstone’s forecast. The rating could make financing its heavy spending on computing more expensive, though the forecast is not a final rating. (techcrunch.com)
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