Yandex
Overview
Yandex is a Russian multinational corporation specializing in Internet-related products and services. These include search and information services, eCommerce, transportation, navigation, mobile applications, and online advertising. Yandex provides over 70 services in total. The company's mission is to answer any question internet users may have, in accordance with the principle of "just ask".
History
Yandex was founded in 1997 by Arkady Volozh, Arkady Borkovsky and Ilya Segalovich, who were partners in the company CompTek International. The name "Yandex" stands for "Yet Another iNDEXer". The company was incorporated in the Netherlands, but the main office is located in Benoit Building, Moscow, Russia.
Services
Yandex operates the largest search engine in Russia with about 65% market share in that country. It also develops a number of Internet-based services and products.
Yandex Search
Yandex Search is the main product of Yandex. It uses proprietary algorithms to provide relevant results. The search technology provides an "answer engine" delivering key direct answers to queries.
Yandex Direct
Yandex Direct is a service for placing contextual advertising on Yandex sites and the sites of its partners. It is one of the main sources of revenue for Yandex.
Yandex Mail
Yandex Mail is a free email service offering unlimited online storage of messages and support for attachments up to 30MB.
Yandex Disk
Yandex Disk is a cloud service that allows users to store files on cloud servers and share them with others online. The service is based on a synchronization model.
Yandex Maps
Yandex Maps provides detailed maps of the whole world. It includes a search, information about traffic jams, routing and street panoramas.
Financials
Yandex has been listed on the NASDAQ since 2011. In 2019, the company reported revenues of RUB 175.4 billion (USD 2.7 billion), a 37% increase from the previous year.
Criticism and Controversy
Yandex has faced criticism and controversy related to privacy and censorship issues. The company's close ties with the Russian government have raised concerns about data privacy and freedom of speech.