Suddenly Messaging Is the Most Vibrant Fight in Silicon Valley

Since SMS' conception in the 1980s, text messaging hasn't changed much. Sure, over the years, smartphone messages got longer, added photos, videos, and emoji, but their purpose—concise communication—stayed more or less static.

Lately, the technology has experienced something akin to the Cambrian explosion, with a broad range of new species of messaging emerging from companies large and small around the world.