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"The first 10 years of Kakao are considered only season one, now we must prepare for season two, which will be the next 10 years," these are the words of encouragement Kakao Chairman Kim Beom-su sent to the firm's employees Wednesday, marking the 10th year anniversary of the release of Kakao Talk, the popular mobile messaging application.
Kim evaluated the first decade of the company in a positive light, claiming the firm was able to overcome difficulties without serious problems, but for the next decade his vision is to solidify Kakao's overall culture making it strong enough to maintain its competitiveness, while using its influence to help resolve societal issues.
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| Kakao Chairman Kim Beom-su |
Not being afraid of a challenge, the company has invested heavily in diverse projects since its establishment in March, 2010.
"There hasn't been a path we have not gone down; investing in commerce, content, characters, mobility, finance, block chain, artificial intelligence (AI) and also B2B. Not all were successful, but we were not afraid of a challenge. We found the origin of the problem even for complex and uncomfortable issues surrounding our daily lives," Kim said. "We have shown our determination to make the world a better place. Through our unique culture, I believe we will be able to become one with others in different teams and companies."
The chairman especially emphasized the need to be well prepared not just to enhance the existing mobile platform, but also to look into diverse innovative fields.
"We must evolve Kakao style culture in correlation to the company's growth and not only in enhancing the mobile platform. We also need to adapt well to ongoing changes and peaks in the industry," Kim said. "We must maintain a state of tension against global IT companies and their sheer size, we must find our path for the next decade in a world where opportunities and crises coexist."
The chairman also emphasized the need to become a frontrunner in resolving societal issues.
"For season 2, we need to be on the forefront in resolving societal issues for which companies could be the most effective. I hope our crew shows interest in our fast developing technology as well as resolving societal issues through our unique means of problem solving," he said.
Kim said the company was far from complete and showed confidence and optimism for the years to come.
"For me, even after 10 years the company is yet to be complete. There are too many things we need to do, can do and must do."
