Did you know Ingrid degaard, the author of this piece, is speaking atTNW2020this year?
Check out their session on How to compete with tech giantshere.
Why do you feel that its important to have competition within the web client market?
It just shows the value of competition and how it drives the quality of software.
Because of competition, we push each other!
Browsers are very important because they are probably the most used pieces of software we have.
So, having a choice and variety of browsers to choose from is crucial.
At Vivaldi, you work closely with your users, adapting the internet tool to their needs.
How do you do that and what drives your priorities?
In general, we make a run at build a product that gives people flexibility.
We all have different ways of working.
How do you think this will affect the way companies and people collaborate in the long term?
A lot of people have had to work in a different way lately.
But for us who work (literally) on the internet, this way of working isnt new.
Understandably, however, many are trying to find ways to replicate the feeling of being in the office.
Thats how we ended up using Whereby as our go-to video meeting tool across the company.
We are seeing similar things from our new users, as other people start looking for alternative browsers.
We are confident that we can be a better tool than other browsers out there.
How do you think companies who were already working remotely pull ahead?
They clearly have an advantage in todays situation.
We didnt skip a beat when COVID-19 struck and everyone just continued working as normal from their homes.
You recently launched new versions on both desktop and Android which both have in-built privacy tools.
How have they been received?
Was this something the community wanted?
We delayed the initial Android release because we wanted to add a reliable tracker radar and ad blocker.
We wanted to confirm we did it right and that it would work really well.
Theres a saying when you dont pay, you are the product.
This is a model that we see a lot of and is often used by big companies.
Take Google as an example.
Google Maps is a wonderful service, but it actually has a dark side.
Ultimately, competition is gone.
If you only have one player in the market, things start to stagnate.
The more competition there is, the more innovation youll have and thats ultimately what we want to see.
Nowadays, people also focus on privacy when looking to use a new product.
Big companies in the United States undertake practices that hinder privacy and, in reality, should be illegal.
What do you think is needed for build that understanding?
As such, the more society can be educated on the use of personal data and privacy the better.
What do you think will happen if this is not regulated in the long-term?
This can quickly turn into a battlefield and in some ways, we are already seeing that.
For example, we have seen this happen in regards to the elections.
I also believe that this system of targeted ads is having a consequence for publishers, too.
I really think that needs to be dealt with.
GDPR doesnt stop tracking and I think that this is the core.
Your location is also being tracked inside buildings and that information is then being used for ad targeting later.
Different countries currently have different privacy laws and there is obviously a big difference between the US and Europe.
Some countries may have even stricter regulations, even within Europe.
Can you talk about the principles that you have founded these companies on?
At the core, its about seeing the individuals.
At the same time, I have always built international teams.
We applaud having discussions which are a really good thing.
When I started to build Vivaldi, we decided that we didnt want investors.
With Opera, I didnt have that choice and it went in the wrong direction.
Another important aspect is that Vivaldi is employee-owned.
This isourcompany and we are building it together.
We are trying to create a good company culture.
We are a distributed company.
We have an HR manager in each of our three offices.
Anne Christiansen, one of the co-founders of Vivaldi, has worked with me at Opera.
We realized that taking care of the employees and making sure theyre happy, is an extremely important task.
There are a lot of different details that youll see that go into making people happy.
Its about things like food, flexibility and more.
We also have regular gatherings every summer at our Innovation House in the US.
The house has 30 bedrooms.
This encourages as many people as possible to join us with their families.
In our case, it is more of a family thing and a totally different experience.
I really believe in making sure that everyone is part of the team.
Thats the basis for our relationship.
I believe more companies should do that!
Sometimes you are unlucky with the investors, and then you end up with the company going nowhere.
We dont want to go public.
We have a different mindset.
We want to build a great company.
We want to build great pieces of software.
But I do understand why thats hard to do for most startups.
So I really dont see how we could have done things differently.
As a result, we ended up getting some investors that werent the best.
Could it maybe even be strengthened?
Communities are very important.
And like you said, in my case its about building communities and supporting the community around me.
That includes the company and the people around us.
The club plays a vital role in their lives, and gives them a sense of belonging.
Supporting something like this is worthwhile.
And its something I would like to continue doing.
In the same way, Ive been trying to support startups.
I am supporting the StartupLab through the Founders Fund in Oslo.
I have also set up the Innovation house in Iceland that offers space for startups with no strings attached.
Its not about ownership.
Its about giving back.
It doesnt have to be about return on investment, we can all just support each other.
I believe in leadership which allows you to work together.
This article was originally published on theWhereby blog.
it’s possible for you to read ithere.
