Kakao
Kakao (Korean: 카카오) is a South Korean Internet company that was established in 2010. It formed as a result of a merger between Daum Communications and the original Kakao Inc. In 2014, the company was renamed Daum Kakao. In 2015 it was rebranded once more, reverting simply to Kakao.
Native name | 주식회사 카카오 |
|---|---|
Romanized name | RR: Jusikhoesa Kakao MR: Chushikhoesa K'ak'ao |
| Company type | Public |
Traded as | KRX: 035720 |
| Industry | Internet |
| Founded | 2010 (original company; as Kakao Inc.) 1 October 2014 (current company) |
| Founder | Brian Kim |
| Headquarters | Jeju City, South Korea |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Brian Kim (founder) Stephan Kim (chairman, head of corporate alignment center) Eun-taek Hong (CEO) |
| Products | |
| Revenue | KRW₩ 4.16 trillion (2020) |
Net income | KRW₩ 167.1 billion (2020) |
| Owners |
|
Number of employees | 10,644 (2020) |
| Subsidiaries | Kakao Entertainment Kakao Games Kakao Friends Kakao Mobility Lycos, Inc. |
| Website | kakaocorp |
| Kakao | |
| Hangul | 카카오 |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | Kakao |
| McCune–Reischauer | K'ak'ao |
In May 2015, the company acquired Path, an American social media company that had become successful in Indonesia. In January 2016, Kakao acquired a 76.4% stake in LOEN Entertainment, a large South Korean entertainment company, for $1.5 billion. It was later rebranded as Kakao M. The company has gained further prominence from KakaoTalk, a free mobile instant messaging application for smartphones with text and call features. By May 2017, the app had 220 million registered users and 47 million active monthly users.
As of March 2022, the company is competing with Naver Corporation for dominance in the Japanese web comic and web novel market.