Yandex
The new Yandex Station smart speaker
Many consider Yandex to be the Google of Russia.
Both companies were founded around the same time - 1997 for Yandex, and 1998 for Google - and both companies make the most popular search engines in their respective countries. Yandex is also the largest technology company in all of Russia.
The two companies are about to share even more in common. This week, Yandex announced it will be getting into smart speakers, an area that Google entered only two years ago with its Home device. The Yandex Station, pictured above, will cost about 10,000 Rubles, or $160, and only be sold in Russia.
Transform talent with learning that worksCapability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More Still, if the thought of a smart speaker makes you uncomfortable, especially after one couple in Portland, Oregon said their Amazon Echo Dot recorded their conversation and randomly sent it to a person in their contacts, we can only imagine the kind of fears one might have about a Russian-made smart speaker.
Nevertheless, take a look at the new Yandex Station: