Whirlpool, the appliance giant known for washing machines and refrigerators, has apparently thrown in the towel on its recipe ambitions. In a move surprising some industry watchers, the company laid off the entire team behind Yummly, its recipe app acquisition from 2017. According to Linkedin, the total headcount under Yummly is reported to be around 75 Employees.
This move signals a potential strategic shift for Whirlpool. Back in the day of the acquisition, the dream was a connected kitchen experience, with Yummly serving up custom recipes tailored to your fancy appliances. Remember that “What’s for dinner tonight?” line? Yeah, that was them.
Fast forward to today, and it seems the focus has changed. Yummly’s human-curated recipe days are over. Instead, Whirlpool seems to be eyeing the next hot thing in tech: generative AI. The rumor mill is churning with whispers of appliance companies building AI-powered content creation tools and user interfaces.
This wouldn’t be the first time the smart appliance dream fizzled. We’ve all seen some questionable first-wave attempts. But with AI in the mix, things could get interesting. Will it be a recipe for success? Only time will tell, but Yummly’s departure hints at a future where AI may be the secret ingredient for smart kitchen dominance.
