Bruce chats with John Ozbay, founder of Cryptee, a privacy-preserving photo and notes Progressive Web App based in Estonia. They discuss how he keeps the platform insulated from Big Tech and how, when Apple tried to remove Progressive Web Apps across the EU with just three weeks' notice, he fought to save his company, employees, and customers—eventually traveling to Brussels to question Apple’s lawyers. They also talk about the piano he built.

Show notes:

John's webpage: https://johnozbay.com

Cryptee: https://crypt.ee

In this engaging first episode, we sit down with Jón von Tetzchner, CEO of Vivaldi, and Laurent Ach, CTO of Qwant, to discuss the unique missions and values of Vivaldi and Qwant—two European tech pioneers committed to privacy, innovation, and user empowerment.

Discover how these companies embody European identity in the digital world, from their adherence to stringent data protection regulations to their support for diverse European languages and cultures.

We also take a deep dive into the technical challenges and triumphs of building a search engine and a browser, exploring topics like crawling, ranking, and indexing through Qwant's ongoing rebuild efforts.

Finally, we discuss the vital role of user feedback and community engagement in shaping their products. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or simply curious about Europe's digital landscape, this episode offers valuable insights into the future of privacy-first technology.