waterloo-tech
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John McLeod Keeps Selling the Part of Transit You Never See
The RideCo marketing chief has spent two decades translating complicated software into ordinary outcomes. His latest brief is also his most public: make demand-responsive transit feel less like an algorithm and more like a dependable ride.
TextNow
TextNow is a Waterloo-born wireless company that gives people phone service for free by letting advertisers, not subscribers, foot the bill. Started in 2009 as a way to dodge texting fees, it has grown into the largest provider of free mobile phone service in the United States, offering unlimited talk, text, and free essential data over a nationwide 5G network through its app-based MVNO. With roughly 10 million monthly active users and revenue north of $100 million, TextNow built a real telecom business on a simple bet: communication should be a right, paid for by ads rather than by the people who can least afford a phone bill.